With MitraClip™, we can stop heart valve leaking without open-heart surgery. Penn Medicine cardiologists have paved the way in this structural heart disease treatment option, performing the second MitraClip procedure in the nation in 2003.
What is MitraClip?
MitraClip is a small device used to stop leaking in the mitral valve. It is placed on your mitral valve in a minimally invasive interventional cardiology procedure called transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) using a flexible, hollow tube (catheter). Penn interventional cardiologists offer both MitraClip and PASCAL, the two devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for mitral TEER.
The mitral valve controls blood flow between the lower left heart chamber (ventricle) and the upper left heart chamber (atria). In mitral valve regurgitation, the mitral valve doesn't close properly, causing leaking. This leaking means your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body, which can cause atrial fibrillation (AFib) or heart failure.
As blood flows through your mitral valve, your mitral valve flaps open and close to allow for blood flow. The MitraClip helps to pull your mitral valve flaps into better alignment so that they open and close more effectively.
Your cardiologist may recommend MitraClip if you have severe regurgitation but aren't a good candidate for mitral valve repair and replacement surgery. Older people and those with underlying health conditions may be better candidates for MitraClip than they are for surgical procedures.
Benefits of MitraClip
Because there is no large chest incision, MitraClip procedures offer significant benefits over open-heart surgery for mitral valve disease. Patients typically recover more quickly, spending less time in the hospital and experiencing fewer complications. Our patients also report less pain following catheter-based procedures.
MitraClip also offers immediate symptom improvement. People find that their shortness of breath, palpitations and fatigue are lessened right after surgery. Feeling better helps you get back to your usual activities more quickly.
How to Prepare for a MitraClip Procedure
Your care team gives you specific instructions to prepare for the MitraClip procedure. You may need to stop taking certain medicines for a brief period before the treatment.
You will likely also have several tests to evaluate your heart's structure and function and help your interventional cardiology team plan the MitraClip procedure, including:
- Chest X-ray to look at your heart's structure
- Doppler ultrasound to assess how blood flows through your heart
- Echocardiogram to look at your heart's anatomy and blood flow
- Electrocardiogram to check your heart rhythm
What to Expect During the Mitral Valve Clip Procedure
MitraClip is placed during an inpatient procedure in the cardiac catheterization lab. The entire procedure takes two to three hours. You receive anesthesia to keep you comfortable. An entire team, including an interventional cardiologist, an interventional echocardiographer and an anesthesia specialist work together in this procedure.
When it's time for the procedure, the team connects you to an electrocardiogram machine that monitors your heart's electrical activity. You also are connected to machines that record your heart rate, breathing, oxygen levels and blood pressure.
During a mitral valve clip procedure, an interventional cardiologist:
- Makes a small incision in your groin to access your femoral vein, a large blood vessel that helps move blood to your heart
- Inserts a catheter through the incision
- Guides the catheter through the vein up to your heart with X-ray and echocardiography assistance
- Uses a small tool at the tip of the catheter to make a tiny hole in the wall that divides your heart chambers
- Positions the catheter near your mitral valve
- Inserts the clip through the catheter and places it at the edges of your mitral valve to prevent leaking
When the clip is in place, the interventional cardiologist removes the catheter and closes the small incision in your groin.
MitraClip Recovery
Most people feel immediate symptom improvement after a MitraClip procedure. You'll spend one to two days in the hospital where our cardiac team closely monitors you.
Your cardiologist gives you specific instructions for continued recovery at home. You may need to take aspirin or other medications to prevent a heart attack or stroke.
Our team evaluates your heart valve one month after surgery to ensure the clip is working properly. Annual visits to your cardiologist help to ensure the clip continues to work long-term.
After the MitraClip procedure, your provider may recommend you complete cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehab can help speed your recovery while strengthening your heart. Our rehabilitation specialists provide gentle exercise, nutrition counseling and education in an outpatient setting.
MitraClip Procedure for Mitral Valve Regurgitation: The Penn Medicine Advantage
Penn was the second medical system in the country to offer MitraClip in 2003. Since then, we have continued to innovate and advance our care, continually offering the most leading-edge treatments for mitral valve regurgitation.
When you choose our team, you benefit from:
- Exclusive treatments: We offer therapies for mitral regurgitation not available elsewhere in the region, including clinical trial treatments. Through our clinical trials, we continue to expand treatment options and are able to offer MitraClip to patients who previously weren't candidates for the treatment.
- Excellent outcomes: Penn cardiologists are among the most experienced MitraClip specialists nationwide. This deep experience leads directly to our exceptional outcomes that place us among the best the country.
- Leading-edge technology: We perform mitral valve clip procedures in our state-of-the-art imaging and catheterization laboratory (cath lab). Our interventional imaging specialists in the cath lab are highly skilled in a range of techniques that allow us to treat the heart with exceptional visualization and accuracy.
Make an Appointment
Please call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.