A suture ring for a mechanical heart valve comprised of essentially three parts: a stiffening ring which fits over an outer surface of the heart valve; a knit fabric sewing cuff attached to the stiffening ring, and a locking ring for securing the stiffening ring to the heart valve. The preferred embodiment...http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US5071431?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5071431 - Suture rings for heart valves and method of securing suture rings to heart valves
