Prosthetic heart valve holder apparatus

Apparatus for use in conjunction with a prosthetic heart valve comprising:

• a holder to which the heart valve is releasably attached, the holder comprising a main body portion and a rotatable portion;
• and
• an elongated handle having a distal end portion, the rotatable portion having a receptacle portion that is adapted to removably receive the distal end portion by relative non-rotational motion of the holder and handle along a longitudinal axis along which the handle is elongated, the receptacle portion defining an opening in a top surface of the holder, the opening configured to receive the distal end portion of the elongated handle,
• wherein the rotatable portion is assembled with the main body portion, such that the rotatable portion is translationally fixed along the longitudinal axis relative to the main body portion, and the rotational portion is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the main body portion between an initial position and a final position,
• wherein the main body portion and the rotational portion each have a notch, the notches being configured to indicate whether or not the rotational portion is in the initial position,
• wherein the notch of the main body portion and the notch of the rotational portion are configured to be aligned in an axial direction parallel to the longitudinal axis when the rotational portion is in the initial position, and
• wherein the notch of the main body portion and the notch of the rotational portion are each visible from a location above the top surface of the holder.