Abstract: In a prosthetic heart valve having a free floating, rotatable, pivotable disk occluder for blocking a flow of fluid therethrough, an improvement comprising the provision of a disk occluder (12) having a substantially convex distal surface (39) and a substantially planar proximal surface (38) having a concentrically disposed well (42) formed therein. A proximal positioned control unit (21) and a distal positioned control unit (22) are provided for cooperative interaction with the disk occluder (12) to support the disk occluder (12) in the occlude and non-occlude mode and to provide a pivot guide for transition between the occlude to non-occlude mode and for the transition between the non-occlude to the occlude mode.

Abstract: A storage unit for use in storing a prosthetic heart valve in conjunction with a plurality of heart valve orifice measurement gauges that includes separate container units (11 and 12), which container units can be selectively connected and disconnected by a connecting unit (13). Opening units (14) are provided for each container unit (11 and 12) to allow access to secondary container units (16) contained therein. The secondary container units contain separately the prosthetic heart valve and heart valve orifice measurement gauges under sterile conditions. Object indicia (18) are provided on the container units (11 and 12) to indicate the contents and size of the heart valve stored within the storage unit. Substantially opaque package unit envelops the first and second container units (11 and 12), though a window unit (21) is provided to allow visual observation of the object indicia (18).