Patent ID: 7951195

Claim:
A valve replacement device for replacing a native heart valve of a patient, the device comprising: a) an implantation instrument, comprising: a first support ring, and a second support ring connected to said first support ring in a form of a coiled configuration, said first support ring configured to abut a first side of an area of heart valve tissue of the heart valve and said second support ring configured to abut a second side, opposite to said first side, of the area of the heart valve tissue to thereby temporarily trap the valve tissue between said first support ring and said second support ring; and b) a replacement valve adapted to be attached to said heart valve tissue of the native valve and including at least one valve element for allowing and preventing blood flow through the valve position; wherein said replacement valve is in a removable manner coupled to the second support ring of said implantation instrument for insertion into the heart valve, and whereby said implantation instrument is configured to temporarily engage the heart valve and to fix or stabilize a shape and position of said trapped heart valve tissue for facilitating attachment of the replacement valve to the heart valve tissue, and wherein said replacement valve is further adapted to be released from said implantation instrument leaving the replacement valve attached to the heart valve tissue, and said implantation instrument is configured to be retracted from the patient when said replacement valve is attached to the heart valve tissue.