Prosthetic heart valve packaging and attachment assembly

A system for heart valve replacement comprising:

• a collapsible and expandable replacement heart valve, wherein the replacement heart valve includes a plurality of tines extending radially outward;
• and
• a packaging assembly for storing the replacement heart valve, the packaging assembly comprising:
• a funnel extending from a first end to a second end, the funnel having a first interior diameter at the first end and a second interior diameter at the second end, the second interior diameter being smaller than the first interior diameter, the funnel defining an internal lumen extending between the first and second ends, the funnel defining a plurality of longitudinal slots extending along an interior surface of the funnel between the first and second ends,
• wherein each of the plurality of longitudinal slots defines a depth such that free ends of the plurality of tines do not scrape an interior surface of the funnel while the replacement heart valve is translated through the funnel, wherein when the replacement heart valve is received within the funnel, each of the plurality of tines aligns with a corresponding one of the plurality of longitudinal slots.