MitraClip: Valve repair device offers new treatment option for some with severe mitral regurgitation

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR), a condition in which the mitral valve does not close properly, allowing blood to leak back into the heart’s upper chamber, is the most common disease of the heart valves. It can cause symptoms such as cough, fatigue, and trouble breathing. The risk of MR increases with age. Until recently, there were only two methods of treatment for MR: medication and open-heart surgery. During this surgery, the surgeon accesses the heart by opening up the breastbone. He or she either repairs or replaces the mitral valve while a heart-lung machine takes over the job of the heart and lungs while the heart is stopped. However, we now have a third option, a new device called MitraClip. What is mitral regurgitation? The heart receives blood from the lungs into the upper left chamber (the left atrium) and pumps blood to the body through the heart’s lower left chamber (the left ventricle). The mitral valve is located between these two chambers. The valve has two large leaflets — an anterior leaflet and a posterior leaflet — with parachute strings, called chords, that are attached to the heart muscle. When working normally, the leaflets open and close to move blood forward and prevent blood from returning to the left atrium when the heart contracts. When these parachute chords rupture or stretch, the leaflet prolapses, so that the valve no longer closes completely. This allows blood to leak backwards, into the left atrium, when the heart contracts. This is c...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Heart Health Surgery Source Type: blogs