This present invention provides a surgical rivet, a rivet deployment actuator, a rivet cutting instrument and a method for securing a prosthetic valve to the heart which has the potential to substantially decrease the ischemic time required for valve implantation and allow larger prostheses to be inserted in small annuli. The surgical rivet is comprised of two flexible preformed elements capable of assuming a preconfigured shape once it is delivered and secured with the deployment actuator. The deployment actuator is a reusable instrument that lowers the prosthesis to the annulus, secures the prosthesis with an "O" ring and cuts and deploys the flexible elements so that they rest on the sewing ring of the prosthetic valve. The present invention eliminates the tedious and time-consuming tasks of tying sutures which may be particularly difficult in small annuli. It also automatically cuts the sutures to the appropriate length. The use of single rivets allows for expansion to the annulus and insertion of one full size larger (2 mm) prosthesis than what is possible using the classical horizontal pledget mattress technique. This feature is of particular importance in small annuli where prosthesis/patient mismatch can lead to suboptimal long term results. .sup.1