The mitral valve is the valve on the left side of the heart between the atria (upper chamber) and ventricle (lower chamber). When a valve is working properly it only allows blood to flow in one direction. When the mitral valve doesn’t close completely, some of the blood leaks back into the atria (upper chamber) instead of only moving forward. This is called mitral regurgitation (MR).
Locally, treatment for MR is open heart surgery. In some patients, an alternative less invasive option may be preferred, and in those patients, they may be a candidate for the MitraClip device.
A MitraClip device is a small clip that is attached to your mitral valve and helps it to close more completely. This is done under general anesthesia, meaning you will be asleep and won’t remember the procedure.
A catheter (a small tube) is placed into your groin and is threaded into your heart. A small poke is made between the right (RA) and left atria (LA) in order to access the mitral valve (which is on the left side of the heart). Once in the LA, we angle the catheter towards the mitral valve and decide on where to put the MitraClip. Once a clip is placed and the MR is reduced, the devices are removed and catheters will be removed.
Patients will stay overnight, have an echocardiogram (TTE) next morning, and can often go home.
