About the Treatment Method
Valve Repair with the Clipping Method
While the patient is under mild general anesthesia in the operating room (catheterization laboratory), the inside of the heart is reached with a thin catheter through the groin vein. Under the guidance of echocardiography (TEE) cameras, a small titanium clip (MitraClip) is placed right in the middle of the two valves leaking blood backwards, and the valves are stapled together.
Absolutely not. The procedure proceeds completely closed through the blood vessel, just like a stent (angiography) procedure. Neither the rib cage is cut nor is the heart touched from the outside. There are no surgical stitches or scars other than the entry hole in the groin.
The feeling of suffocation, inability to lie flat, and severe shortness of breath, which are the biggest complaints of mitral regurgitation patients, rapidly regress the moment the leak in the valve is clipped. Patients are usually discharged from the hospital breathing comfortably 1-2 days after the procedure.
The information on this page is for general health advice. Please consult specialized physicians for personalized treatment or advice.