Non-invasive procedures most effective for heart valve woes: Expert

Non-invasive techniques to treat ailing heart valves are the most effective, Dr Rajneesh Kapoor, a senior cardiologist, said.

Dr Kapoor added that MitraClip was a minimally-invasive device used to treat mitral valve regurgitation, a condition where the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t close tightly, allowing blood to flow back into the heart.

Talking about the technique, Dr Kapoor said, “The mitral valve sits between the left atrium and left ventricle. When it leaks, some blood flows back with each heartbeat. This can reduce the efficiency of the heart and lead to complications. The symptoms include, fatigue or feeling unusually tired, shortness of breath, especially when lying down, heart palpitations, swollen ankles or feet and irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Some people may have no symptoms for years, especially if the leakage is mild.”

He said that in this procedure a small clip was implanted via a catheter to help the mitral valve close effectively. It is designed for patients who are not fit to undergo an open-heart surgery and is used in a procedure called Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER), Dr Kapoor added.