ABSTRACT
For patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who are at low risk for operative morbidity and mortality, surgical repair is the standard of care to achieve optimal long-term results and reduce mortality. If performed by experienced surgeons at high-volume centers, surgical mitral valve repair can be performed with negligible risk of mortality and low rates of complications (1). Unfortunately, because of advanced age, reduced left ventricular (LV) function, and/or other signifi cant comorbid conditions, a signifi cant number of patients are at prohibitively increased risk for adverse events following surgery and are not offered surgical management (2). The MitraClip® is a device that is delivered via a percutaneous approach; it reduces MR by clipping together the free edges of the anterior and posterior mitral leafl ets, thereby reducing the regurgitant orifi ce area. Recently, the MitraClip® device has been shown to provide an alternative treatment to conventional surgery for patients with severe MR who were candidates for mitral valve repair or replacement (3). Because the percutaneous technique of the MitraClip® implantation is less invasive than the open heart or robotic-assisted surgical repair of the mitral valve, it has emerged as an option for those patients at high risk for perioperative mortality or morbidity. Recent studies have demonstrated echocardiographic, hemodynamic, and symptomatic benefi ts of MitraClip® implantation in this high-risk surgical population.
