The MitraClip procedure is used to treat patients who have symptoms because of mitral regurgitation. The MitraClip procedure does not require opening the chest or temporarily stopping your heart (cardiopulmonary bypass). Instead, doctors access your heart through a vein in your leg to repair your mitral valve. The MitraClip procedure may be an option for patients with mitral regurgitation who are too sick for surgery or considered too high risk.
The tricuspid valve regulates blood flow from the heart’s upper right chamber (right atrium) to the lower right chamber (right ventricle). The valve’s role is to ensure blood flows in a forward direction from the right atrium to the ventricle. Any abnormal function of the tricuspid valve is known as tricuspid valve disease.
Over time (approximately 10 to 15 years), tissue heart valves (or bioprosthetic valves) degenerate and eventually fail, requiring the need for replacement. TAVR technology offers a minimally invasive procedure to patients who previously underwent open-heart surgery for a bioprosthetic valve. This option is especially beneficial for high-risk patients as it allows them to recover in less time — typically one week versus three months. Using the less invasive “valve-in-valve” procedure, a new transcatheter valve is tightly placed into the orifice of the failed surgical valve, pushing the old valve leaflets aside.
