Transcatheter mitral valve repair using the MitraClip: which patients benefit most?

Excerpt

Surgical treatment of primary mitral regurgitation (MR) is well-established [1] and controversies only remain with respect to the timing of surgery (early invasive versus watchful waiting). Such considerations, however, only apply to the operable individual with primary MR. As the life expectancy of the general population has significantly increased in recent years, more and more 80–90-year-old patients are diagnosed with primary MR. In addition, a considerable proportion of patients with primary MR are deemed inappropriate candidates for surgery due to frailty, previous cardiac surgery, porcelain aorta or other factors. Although systematic data with respect to the use of transcatheter mitral valve repair with the MitraClip device in patients with primary MR are currently missing it seems very likely that this population is excellently suited to undergo such a minimally invasive procedure and that these patients will significantly benefit. …