A prosthetic heart valve having a frame comprising a plurality of struts (10, 12, 14) joined together at a common point (16) and extending radially from the common point (16) to free ends spaced from one another and a plurality of preserved tissue valve leaflets, each having a free edge, mounted to said frame means such that said free edges of said leaflets extend between the free ends of said frame struts (10, 12, 14). Each of the leaflets are provided with an associated strip of aortic tissue and the strips of aortic tissue are joined to one another to enclose the frame struts (10, 12, 14) so that no synthetic materials are exposed to the bloodstream with the exception of suture material used to join the adjacent strips of aortic tissue.
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