Abstract: A method of manufacturing a heart valve prosthesis includes cutting a flat sheet of a valve material into a single-piece valve pattern having two or more valve leaflet regions and a valve skirt region. The method also includes arranging the two or more valve leaflet regions of the single-piece valve pattern into a mold for forming a leaflet belly for each of the two or more valve leaflet regions. Further, the method includes fixing, while arranged in the mold, a shape of the leaflet belly of each of two or more valve leaflet regions of the single piece-valve pattern. The method additionally includes creating a side seam by attaching two longitudinal edges of the single-piece valve pattern, to thereby form a tubular valve subassembly with two or more valve leaflets. The method includes attaching the tubular valve subassembly within a tubular frame to form a heart valve prosthesis.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure include apparatuses for and methods of removing a ligation clip interconnecting two mitral valve leaflets. Methods can include providing a mitral valve having first and second valve leaflets interconnected with a ligation clip. The ligation clip includes a base supporting a first and second retaining arms each having an end opposite the base. The first and second valve leaflets are compressed between the first and second retaining arms. The methods further include physically separating the ligation clip from both of the first and second leaflets with the apparatus, which is configured to dislodge the first and second leaflets from the ligation clip. The apparatuses are further configured to withdraw the ligation clip from the patient along with the apparatus.