Mitral Valve Clip: Procedure, Candidature & Recovery

There are four valves in your heart. They are essential for healthy blood flow through the heart. On the left side of your heart, the mitral valve regulates blood flow from the atrium to the ventricle. The two leaflets of this valve open and close to ensure that blood only flows in one direction within the heart.
Your cardiologist will recommend a Mitral Valve Clip procedure if you are diagnosed with mitral regurgitation (MR) which occurs when the mitral valve of the heart does not seal properly. This allows some of your heart's blood to "regurgitate," or flow backward, into the chambers of your heart.
As the mitral valve does not completely close in individuals with MR, allowing blood to seep backward, the heart is forced to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Thus, one experiences symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, an irregular heartbeat, and increasing heart failure as symptoms of increased workload. MR is a disease that worsens with time, lowering your quality of life and making daily tasks more difficult.

Candidature for Mitral Valve Clip Procedure

The purpose of treatment is to improve your quality of life by reducing mitral regurgitation. Medications may be provided to assist with alleviating your symptoms, but they will not be able to repair the valve. Open cardiac surgery is the current gold standard for treating a severely leaky mitral valve. The goal of surgery is to either replace or repair the mitral valve with an artificial valve (mitral valve replacement).
However, if you do not require open cardiac surgery, your doctor will prescribe a mitral valve clip procedure for you.

Mitral Valve Clip Procedure at Medanta

At Medanta Hospitals, we make sure to uphold the highest levels of comfort for patients while following rigid safety protocols to ensure their journey to being healthy is quick and worry-free. The mitral valve clip procedure at Medanta has been utilized successfully for several patients to improve blood flow through the mitral valve without the need for open cardiac surgery in recent years.
The Medanta clinical nursing coordinator will contact you before your admission for your mitral valve clip treatment to perform a pre-admission examination. The nurse will inquire about your medications, general health, current living arrangements, and post-discharge plans.
The mitral valve clip procedure is carried out in a cardiac catheterization lab rather than in the operating room. You will be given general anaesthesia so that you can restfully sleep during the procedure. The catheter, which is a long, flexible tube, is put into the femoral vein, a big vein in your groin, and guided to your heart. Ultrasound and X-ray pictures are used to position it accurately. The catheter is inserted and guided to the mitral valve on the left side of the heart. Through the catheter, the mitral valve clip is then introduced and positioned into the leaking areas of the valve. The clip is applied to the mitral valve leaflets, firmly holding them together and allowing the valve to seal more efficiently.

This method has the advantage of being less intrusive than open heart surgery and possibly reducing recovery time. The catheter is implanted through a small puncture in your groin that heals quickly.

Post Procedure Recovery

After your mitral valve clip procedure at Medanta Hospitals, you should plan on staying at the hospital for 1-5 days. A majority of patients are ready to return home after a few hours of monitoring. Patients commonly experience immediate relief from the symptoms after the procedure.
Your post-procedure recovery instructions may include limiting strenuous physical activities for at least 30 days, timely administration of prescribed medication for wound care, and regular follow-ups to suppress any chance of mitral clip failure. Experience a seamless pathway to comprehensive wellness at Medanta Hospitals.