Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair
MitraClip is a type of transcatheter mitral valve repair that gives options to those with mitral valve regurgitation who, due to age or health, are not candidates for traditional open-heart valve surgery. Penn Medicine performed the second MitraClip produced in the United States over 10 years ago, and is one of the few in the Philadelphia area performing this minimally invasive procedure.
What to Expect During MitraClip
MitraClip is a non-surgical procedure enables the placement of a clip into the body through catheter-based technology. After the clip enters the left atrium, it's placed over the leak in the valve and advanced down into the left ventricle below the leaflets. Then, the clip gets retracted and closed to hold the leaflets together, thus reducing mitral regurgitation. The valve can still open around the clip to allow blood to fill the left ventricle. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and usually two or three hours to complete.
MitraClip Risks and Recovery
MitraClip is a significant procedure involving general anesthesia and carries with it some serious risks, including damage to the valve or potential risk of the clip detaching. However, it is overall a safe procedure with a low-risk for major complications.
After your procedure you will recover in the hospital, under the care of our highly trained cardiac care team. The typical hospital stay for a MitraClip procedure is one to two days. After leaving the hospital you will have follow-up monitoring at one, six and 12 months, then once a year after that. You may also be asked to take aspirin if you were not already taking it, and there may be an adjustment of other medications, with the hope that you will require fewer or lower dosages.