Methods and apparatuses for deploying minimally-invasive heart valves

A method for delivering and implanting a prosthetic heart valve in a native aortic valve in a patient, comprising:

• providing a prosthetic heart valve comprising a self-expandable stent body and a plurality of leaflet-forming membranes made from bovine pericardium, the prosthetic heart valve stored in an expanded configuration while connected to a deployment mechanism;
• compressing the prosthetic heart valve to a contracted configuration;
• percutaneously advancing a catheter shaft over a guidewire and through a femoral artery while a patient's heart is beating and without cardiopulmonary bypass, the catheter shaft having the prosthetic heart valve and deployment mechanism disposed along a distal end portion thereof, the catheter shaft having a proximal operating handle disposed along a proximal end portion thereof;
• permitting the prosthetic heart valve to self-expand from the contracted configuration to an initial expanded configuration, wherein the deployment mechanism radially expands and remains coupled to the prosthetic heart valve while the prosthetic heart valve expands from the contracted configuration to an initial expanded configuration;
• actuating the deployment mechanism via the proximal operating handle for regulating the rate of expansion of the prosthetic heart valve from the initial expanded configuration to a final expanded configuration;
• locking the prosthetic heart valve in the final expanded configuration using a mechanical locking device disposed on the prosthetic heart valve;
• and
• releasing the prosthetic heart valve from the deployment mechanism and withdrawing the catheter shaft and deployment mechanism from the patient's vasculature.