{"id":17205,"date":"2013-07-17T15:08:33","date_gmt":"2013-07-17T20:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/?p=17205"},"modified":"2018-08-26T09:53:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-26T14:53:41","slug":"mitraclip-candidate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2013\/07\/17\/mitraclip-candidate\/","title":{"rendered":"“Am I A Candidate For The MitraClip Procedure?” Asks Kate"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just received a great question from Kate about mitral valve prolapse, severe regurgitation and the MitraClip.<\/p>\n

In her email, Kate writes to me, “Hi Adam – I am a 33-year old, single mother of two, recently diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR)<\/a>.\u00a0 I am exploring my options and was wondering if you could tell me which hospitals perform the MitraClip surgery? Also, how would I get evaluated to see if I am a potential candidate for this procedure?”<\/p>\n

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\"MitraClip<\/p>\n

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As you may know, the MitraClip is a catheter-based technology that “clips” the two mitral leaflets together to reduce regurgitation. It should be noted that the FDA has not approved the MitraClip in the USA — although, it recently received an FDA panel approval vote of 5-3, which is a good sign.<\/p>\n

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To answer Kate’s question, I contacted Dr. Steven Bolling, who is a leading mitral valve surgeon and Director of the Mitral Valve Program at The Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan. In response to Kate’s question, Dr. Bolling noted:<\/p>\n

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\"Dr.<\/p>\n

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“The MitraClip is not indicated for Kate at all. It is now used only in a trial for high-risk functional MR.\u00a0 The one thing that a recent clinical trial (known as the Everest study) showed was that patients, like Kate, must have a surgical mitral valve repair at a center that will have a good, long-lasting 99% repair rate ( eally 100%!). She will be “cured” this way.\u00a0 Any other therapy will take her off the best outcome curve. Thanks, Steve”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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I hope this helped Kate (and perhaps you) learn more about the MitraClip and its potential use for patients. Many thanks to Kate for her question and<\/span> a special thanks to Steven Bolling, MD for his continued support of our community!<\/p>\n