Minimally invasive treatment of the mitral valve

 

A leaking heart valve, known as mitral valve regurgitation, is a condition in which blood leaks backward through the heart’s mitral valve. It affects more than 35 million [1] adults worldwide, leaving many short of breath, fatigued, and struggling with everyday activities like climbing stairs or walking short distances. Many also live with anxiety or fear, knowing their heart isn’t pumping efficiently. If left untreated, severe cases can lead to heart failure and other serious complications.

For patients who are too frail for open-heart surgery, minimally invasive transcatheter repair techniques such as mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) offer a vital treatment option. During these procedures, physicians repair a leaking valve through a tiny incision in the top of the leg in the groin area, guiding long, flexible instruments through the blood veins and navigating a miniature repair device into the beating heart.

Clinicians must view and interpret both X-ray and ultrasound images on multiple screens, coordinate movements between two operators, and make precise adjustments to grasp the moving valve leaflets, position the repair device, and confirm the result in real time. The process demands accuracy, coordination, and experience from the team. This is where DeviceGuide can help with its 3D navigation support.