Surgical method for affixing a valve to a heart using a looped suture combination

A method of replacing a heart valve, comprising

• providing an artificial heart valve having a sewing ring mounted thereto;
• inserting the heart valve into a cardiac valve annulus having a top surface and a bottom surface, such that the sewing ring is adjacent to a surface of a valve annulus;
• providing a plurality of suture loop combinations, each such combination comprising:
• a surgical suture, said suture having first and second ends;
• a surgical needle, said needle comprising an elongated member having a pointed distal end and a proximal end, wherein said proximal end has a suture mounting section, and wherein the ends of the suture are mounted in the suture mounting section thereby forming a suture loop;
• and,
• a pledget member having at least one surface, wherein said pledget member is mounted to the suture;
• passing each needle through the annulus and sewing ring and pulling the suture loop therethrough such that a surface of the pledget member is in substantial contact with a surface of the annulus;
• cutting the needles off of the suture loops, such that the first and second ends of each suture loop is free;
• tying the free ends of the sutures together in a pattern such that each free end of a suture is tied to a free end of an adjacent suture, such that a surface of the sewing ring is in substantially fluid-tight contact with a surface of the annulus.