MitraClip Valve Repair | Cardiovascular Medical Devices

MitraClip Valve Repair for Mitral Valve Regurgitation

Beaumont was the first hospital in Metro Detroit to treat patients in a clinical study evaluating the MitraClip system to repair the mitral valve without heart surgery. The results of the clinical data that studied the MitraClip implant demonstrated safety, reduction of mitral valve regurgitation, rapid recovery, improvement in symptoms and reduction in hospitalizations for heart failure.

In October 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the MitraClip for trans-cather edge to edge repair (TEER) in patients with primary mitral valve regurgitation (MR) who are not good candidates for surgery. Beaumont was the first hospital in Michigan to implant the commercially approved MitraClip for this indication.

More recently, multi-center trial research demonstrated the success of TEER using MitraClip for patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe or severe MR secondary to systolic heart failure (enlarged, weakened heart) when medications alone are inadequate. In March 2019, FDA approved MitraClip for this indication. After Medicare expanded its criteria for coverage in January 2021, we have been able to offer TEER using MitraClip to appropriate patients with secondary MR.

MitraClip Valve Repair Procedure

The MitraClip device is delivered to the heart through a small incision in the blood vessel in the leg. The heart continues to beat during the procedure and does not require a heart-lung bypass machine, which is common for open heart surgery. During the mitral valve repair procedure, a catheter (a thin, flexible plastic tube) is inserted through the patient's skin in the groin area and is guided through the femoral vein to the affected area of the heart. Then, a catheter that holds the MitraClip device goes in through the first catheter so that the MitraClip can be guided into place and attached to the leaflets of the mitral valve. Once the clip is properly placed and securely attached, it is deployed and the catheters are removed.

The MitraClip improves valve closure and reduces backflow of blood (regurgitation). The heart returns to pumping blood to the body more efficiently, relieving the patient's symptoms and improving their quality of life.