Mitral Valve Repair Technology Makes “Top 10 Medical Advances For 2009″

Each fall, the Cleveland Clinic names its “Top 10 Medical Innovations” that will shape health care in the year ahead.

For 2009, the number five-ranked medical innovation was a non-invasive, percutaneous mitral valve regurgitation repair system.

Using a tiny wishbone-shaped device, the mitral valve is repaired non-surgically. A catheter is carefully guided through the femoral vein in the groin, up to the heart’s mitral valves.

The clip on the tip of a catheter is then clamped on the center of the mitral valve’s leafs, which holds them together and restores blood flow.

In my opinion, this technology sounds similar to the Mitra-Clip. Although The Cleveland Clinic did not reference the company developing this medical innovation, I did some extra research but failed to find anything else on the brand behind the technology.

Regardless, the non-invasive approaches to heart surgery continue including Da Vinci robotic surgery, catheter-based approaches (e.g. Edwards SAPIEN valve) and mini-sternotomy continue to receive the attention and resources they deserve.

Looking back on it, if there was a minimally invasive approach to the Ross Procedure (my surgery), I definitely would have chosen that non-invasive path instead of having my sternum broken.

However, it should be noted that some of the technologies referenced above are still in trial and not readily available to patients requiring heart surgery today. That said, I will continue to report on the latest technical developments specific to heart valve surgery.

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.

Additional Blogs About Heart Valve Surgery:

• Ross Procedure Risks For Aortic Valve Replacement Addressed By 16 Year Study
• Wanna See My High-Tech Distribution Center?
• Nurse Julie Asks About Aortic Valve Surgery, Symptoms And Female Scars For Her Daughter

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am and is filed under Medical Advances. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. |  Email This Post .