Patent ID: 7410499

Claim:
A valve holder assembly comprising: a rigid, hollow, generally cylindrical and open main valve holder having a top member adapted to receive a main valve holder handle, a generally cylindrical main valve holder ring base, and support members connecting the main valve holder top member and the ring base, the main valve holder adapted to hold a prosthetic valve; and a removable secondary valve holder nested within the hollow space of the generally cylindrical main valve holder and having substantially the same centerline as the main valve holder, said secondary valve holder comprising: a flat, disc-shaped secondary valve holder top member removably connected to the main valve holder top member; a rotational axle coupled to said secondary valve holder top member; three elongated commissural posts extending radially from said top member and rotational axle along a substantially horizontal axis thereof, said commissural posts structured to collapse from a position along said horizontal axis to a position along a substantially vertical axis and adapted to position the prosthetic valve during surgical implantation.