Prosthetic heart valve

A method for assembling a prosthetic heart valve, the method comprising:

• positioning a leaflet assembly within an interior of an expandable annular frame, wherein:
• the frame defines a plurality of openings,
• the leaflet assembly comprises a plurality of leaflets and a plurality of commissure assemblies,
• each leaflet comprises a main body and two commissure tabs extending from opposite sides of the main body, and
• each commissure tab of each leaflet is paired with an adjacent commissure tab of an adjacent leaflet and each pair of commissure tabs is connected to a commissure support to form a respective one of the commissure assemblies;
• and
• inserting the commissure support and the pair of commissure tabs of each commissure assembly through a respective opening of the frame so as to position the commissure assembly on an exterior of the frame.

A method comprising:

• pairing a first commissure tab of a first leaflet with a second commissure tab of a second leaflet, wherein the first commissure tab is adjacent the second commissure tab;
• coupling the first commissure tab and the second commissure tab to a commissure support member to form a commissure assembly of a leaflet assembly, wherein the commissure support comprises a rigid plate made of metal;
• and
• after coupling the first and second commissure tabs to the commissure support member, inserting the commissure support member and the first and second commissure tabs through an opening in a frame.