Prosthetic Heart Valves Having Leaflet Protection

A prosthetic heart valve (20, 350, 370, 500) comprising:

• a stent (30, 302, 530) having an inner surface and an outer surface;
• a skirt (34, 306, 372, 534) connected to and spanning a circumference of the inner surface of the stent;
• and
• a valve structure (32, 304, 532) secured to the skirt, the valve structure including a plurality of leaflets (40, 310, 540), with regions of adjoining leaflets attached to the skirt next to one another to form commissures (42, 314, 542, each leaflet having a free edge (44, 544) that is suspended from the respective commissures such that the free edges combine to define an area of coaptation (46, 312, 546) in a closed condition of the valve structure;
• wherein an arrangement of the valve structure relative to the stent defines an inflow region (50, 550) opposite an outflow region (52, 552), with opposing terminal ends of the stent including a first end (60, 560) corresponding with the inflow region and a second end (62, 352, 562) corresponding with the outflow region;
• wherein the prosthetic heart valve has a compressed arrangement and an expanded arrangement;
• and
• wherein the skirt is sized and arranged to fully sheathe the leaflets in both the compressed arrangement and the expanded arrangement, including an edge (72, 316, 374, 573) of the skirt located longitudinally between the commissures and the second end of the stent.