What is MitraClip?
MitraClip is a minimally invasive catheter-based device used to treat mitral regurgitation (a leaky mitral valve) without open-heart surgery. A small clip is delivered through a catheter inserted via the femoral vein, guided across the atrial septum, and attached to the mitral valve leaflets to reduce leakage. The procedure typically takes 1-3 hours and patients often go home within 1-3 days.
The complete answer.
MitraClip (transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, or TEER) was initially approved for primary (degenerative) mitral regurgitation in patients considered too high-risk for surgery. The COAPT trial (2018) demonstrated significant benefit for secondary (functional) MR in heart failure patients, showing reduced hospitalizations and improved survival. However, MitraClip does not achieve the same degree of MR reduction as surgical repair and is not appropriate for all valve anatomies. The Heart Team approach is recommended to determine whether MitraClip or surgical repair is optimal.
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