Implantable prosthetic heart valve

A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:

• a support stent having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion, wherein the support stent is configured to be radially expandable from a crimped configuration to an expanded configuration;
• a valve assembly comprising an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of leaflets that are moveable between an open position and a closed position;
• and
• a connection structure that supports the valve assembly in the support stent such that the inlet of the valve assembly is spaced radially inwardly of the support stent and does not directly contact the support stent when the support stent is in the expanded configuration,
• wherein when the leaflets are in the open position, free edges of the leaflets form a concentric ring about a longitudinal axis of the valve assembly so that fluid is permitted to flow from an inlet to an outlet of the valve assembly, wherein when the leaflets are in the closed position, edges of the leaflets collapse inwardly to form a tricuspid configuration so as to block fluid flow from the outlet to the inlet of the valve assembly.

A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:

• a support stent having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion, wherein the support stent is configured to be radially expandable from a crimped configuration to an expanded configuration, wherein the support stent comprises hooks configured to secure the prosthetic heart valve in place after implantation, and wherein the support stent comprises a shape memory material;
• a valve assembly comprising a plurality of leaflets made of pericardial tissue that are moveable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the leaflets in the open position are configured to permit fluid flow in a first direction and the leaflets in the closed position are configured to block fluid flow in a second direction opposite the first direction;
• and
• a connection structure that connects the valve assembly to the support stent, wherein when the support stent is in the expanded configuration and the leaflets are in the open position, an outer surface of the valve assembly has a cylindrical shape and is spaced radially inwardly of the support stent, wherein the outer surface of the valve assembly and an inner surface of the support stent are concentric.