| CPC A61F 2/2418 (2013.01) [A61F 2/2433 (2013.01); A61F 2/2436 (2013.01); A61F 2230/0013 (2013.01); A61F 2230/005 (2013.01); A61F 2230/0054 (2013.01); A61F 2230/008 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |

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1. A method comprising:
radially collapsing a valve prosthesis including a radially collapsible and expandable support frame and a prosthetic heart valve including a plurality of prosthetic leaflets coupled to a portion of the support frame between concentric inner and outer tubes of a catheter, the catheter further including a tip located at a downstream end of the inner tube, wherein the support frame further includes commissural posts to which the prosthetic leaflets are attached;
transluminally delivering the valve prosthesis to a vicinity of a native valve while the support frame is radially collapsed within the catheter and the catheter is in a closed position such that the outer tube abuts against the tip of the catheter;
positioning the catheter tip past the native valve;
withdrawing the outer tube to expand an upstream section of the support frame such that the upstream section extends outward in an upstream direction with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the valve prosthesis, wherein the radially expanded upstream section of the support frame is positioned upstream of an annulus of the native valve to apply a downstream axial force on an upstream side of the native valve; and
further withdrawing the outer tube to expose a downstream section of the support frame thereby releasing the valve prosthesis from the catheter, wherein the support frame fully expands to push leaflets of the native valve radially outward.
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