Holder and deployment system for prosthetic heart valves

A system for delivering a prosthetic heart valve to a native valve annulus, comprising:

• a prosthetic heart valve including an annular support structure and a self-expandable anchoring stent together defining a flow orifice and an inflow end defining an inflow direction with an outflow direction opposite thereto, the self-expandable anchoring stent comprising a first end and a second end, the prosthetic heart valve having valve leaflets attached to the support structure and mounted to alternately open and close across the flow orifice;
• a valve holder having a structure adapted to mate with a delivery handle;
• and
• a connecting suture tied at first and second free ends to the valve holder and attaching the valve holder to the prosthetic heart valve at multiple locations, the connecting suture being routed over a single cutting well on the valve holder such that severing the connecting suture at the single cutting well detaches the valve holder from the prosthetic heart valve, the connecting suture extending around the anchoring stent in tension and constricting the second end of the self-expandable anchoring stent to a contracted state for delivery to the native valve annulus.