{"id":6461,"date":"2026-02-03T05:01:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T05:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=6461"},"modified":"2026-03-03T16:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:58:38","slug":"mitral-disease-atrial-fibrillation-minimally-invasive","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/mitral-disease-atrial-fibrillation-minimally-invasive\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Mitral Valve Disease and Atrial Fibrillation Be Treated Without Open Heart Surgery?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Up to 35% of patients with mitral regurgitation will develop atrial fibrillation as their valve disease progresses. Unfortunately, atrial fibrillation can add significant risk factors and uncomfortable symptoms for patients. Both cardiac conditions may initially be managed with medications. However, if the diseases progress and an intervention is warranted, several treatment options are available to help patients.<\/p>\n<p>Specific to this topic\u2026 We received a patient question from Beverly, who asked, \u201cI have moderate to severe mitral regurgitation and atrial fibrillation. Is it possible to get each disorder treated without an open-heart procedure?\u201d To provide Beverly an expert response, Adam Pick, the patient who founded HeartValveSurgery.com, recently visited Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. There, he met with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/interventional-cardiologist\/dr-Aakriti-Gupta-Los+Angeles-California.php\">Dr. Aakriti Gupta<\/a>, who is a leading interventional cardiologist specializing in minimally-invasive heart valve therapies using small catheters instead of open-heart surgery.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gZHcG-stx4g?rel=0&amp;si=iMPs6mrLcGCQYEbH\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Key Facts About Treating Mitral Valve Disease and Atrial Fibrillation<\/h2>\n<p>Here are the key insights shared by Dr. Gupta:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mitral valve disease and atrial fibrillation are two separate problems with a strong connection between them. \u201cI think this is a great question because we are talking about two distinct processes,\u201d said Dr. Gupta. \u201cOne is leakage of the mitral valve, where the blood is leaking backwards instead of going forward. The second is a rhythm problem called atrial fibrillation.\u201d Dr. Gupta explained that the two conditions are interconnected because, when a patient has mitral regurgitation, blood leaks into the left atrium, the upper chamber of the heart. Eventually, the leakage causes the left atrium to enlarge and disrupt the heart\u2019s electrical system, which can then lead to atrial fibrillation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6465 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/mitral-valve-regurgitation-drawing-2026.jpg\" alt=\"Mitral Regurgitation Drawing\" width=\"650\" height=\"359\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open-heart surgery can fix both problems during a single procedure. Dr. Gupta said, \u201cIf you went for open-heart surgery, a good surgeon would fix your valve and the areas of the electrical problem at the same time. The surgeon will also often close off the appendage in the left atrium, which often forms a clot. If the appendage isn\u2019t closed, there is a greater risk of having a stroke. So, the surgeon can do all of that in one procedure.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Interventional treatment options for mitral valve disease and atrial fibrillation that do not require open-heart surgery. Dr. Gupta said, \u201cFirst, let\u2019s talk about what we can do about the mitral valve. You may have heard terms like MitraClip or PASCAL, which are transcatheter procedures to repair the mitral valve.\u201d She explained that during the procedure, they insert a catheter into a vein in the groin, advance it into the heart, and place one or two clips to repair the leaky valve. \u201cMost frequently, you will go home the next day,\u201d she said. \u201cThe transcatheter mitral valve repair procedure is FDA-approved and has good results in terms of success and long-term durability. Every patient is different, and results can vary depending on individual anatomy and surgical risk.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The transcatheter mitral valve replacement option. \u201cWe also have transcatheter mitral valve replacement, which is not FDA approved, but is available in research protocols at large institutes like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. So, we would be able to screen you to see if you qualify for those protocols and offer you that procedure,\u201d said Dr. Gupta.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Transcatheter therapy for atrial fibrillation. Dr. Gupta explained that they can treat the heart tissue causing the rhythm problem with a catheter-based treatment called ablation. \u201cWe use either heat or cold to electrically quiet the area that\u2019s causing the problem. We can also close the appendage using a transcatheter option called a Watchman or an Amulet device.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6466 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/watchman-afib-device.jpg\" alt=\"WATCHMAN Device\" width=\"650\" height=\"362\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the timeframe for treatment? \u201cWe can do all these procedures without open-heart surgery, but we don\u2019t do them all at the same time,\u201d Dr. Gupta said. \u201cWe would fix the valve first since it will make the tissue in the upper chamber of the heart more amenable to cure with ablation. Later, we\u2019ll bring you back to see an electrophysiologist, a rhythm doctor, for the ablation procedure. Then, we will close your appendage.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A comprehensive heart team can produce excellent outcomes. \u201cAt a place like Cedars-Sinai, we have a heart team composed of an interventional cardiologist, a cardiothoracic surgeon, an electrophysiologist, and an imager who put their minds together to decide the best option for you. We\u2019ll sit with you, give you all the options, and then come to a decision to give you the best outcome.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Thanks Dr. Gupta and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center!<\/h2>\n<p>On behalf of all the patients in our community, thank you, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/interventional-cardiologist\/dr-Aakriti-Gupta-Los+Angeles-California.php\">Dr. Aakriti Gupta,<\/a> for everything you and your team are doing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California!<\/p>\n<p>Related links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/interventional-cardiologist\/dr-Aakriti-Gupta-Los+Angeles-California.php\">See Dr. Aakriti Gupta\u2019s Interactive Surgeon Profile<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/hospital\/cedars-sinai-heart-institute\">Meet the entire team at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/tavr-aortic-regurgitation-aakriti-gupta-md\/\">Ask Dr. Gupta: What About TAVR for Aortic Regurgitation?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep on tickin,<br \/>\nAdam<\/p>\n<p>P.S. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our patient community, we have provided a written transcript of our interview with Dr. Gupta below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"cms.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"class_list":["post-6461","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-mitral-valve-repair"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6461"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6525,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6461\/revisions\/6525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}