News

New technology to help heart patients in London first - 03 April 2009

A new procedure to repair the mitral valve of patients who are often considered too high risk to operate on has been performed for the first time in London at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. 

The procedure uses a new device called the MitraClip® system (pictured left) to treat patients who have mitral regurgitation (MR), a condition where the mitral valve in the heart doesn’t close properly, which causes the blood to flow backwards leading to breathlessness, fatigue and sometimes heart failure.  

Dr Ghada Mikhail, cardiologist and programme lead, said: “Patients with moderate or severe MR and multiple co-morbidities – like previous stroke, renal impairment or lung disease – are often turned down for surgery because they are considered high risk.

“This new procedure means these patients now have a treatment option and in addition often recover much quicker than with conventional surgery.” 

The procedure involves making a small incision in the patient’s groin and using a catheter to position the MitraClip® device guided by ultrasound echo and X-rays. The clip grasps the two leaflets of the valve at the site of the leak and reduces the backward flow of blood. 

The procedure takes place in a cardiology catheter laboratory, rather than an operating theatre, and avoids the need for the patient’s heart to be put on cardiopulmonary bypass. 

Compared with traditional open heart surgery, patients experience less trauma, have a shorter stay in hospital and recover substantially quicker, returning to regular activities after a few days of being discharged.

Dr Chris Baker and Dr Mike Bellamy, consultant cardiologists, performed the first procedure with the MitraClip® system. Dr Baker said: “We expect new technology like this to significantly improve outcomes in patients, especially those who are unsuitable for conventional surgery and in the future we hope to be able to offer this kind of procedure to both high-risk and low- to moderate-risk patients.”

Imperial College Healthcare is currently the only Trust in the country to offer both the MitraClip® therapy for MR and a procedure called TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation), which replaces the aortic valve in the heart of patients with severe aortic stenosis. 

Notes to editors:
• Valve disease occurs in 1-2 percent of people aged 26-84 and mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common form of heart valve regurgitation, and often results in heart failure
• MR places an extra burden on the heart and lungs. Some people may develop an enlarged left ventricle, because it is working harder to pump blood out to the body
• Patients with chronic MR may develop symptoms of heart failure such as: fatigue or inability to exercise; decrease in appetite; dry or hacking cough that worsens when lying down; shortness of breath especialy at night; fainting or blacking out; weight gain from fluid retention; and accumulation of fluid in feet, ankles and lungs
• The MitraClip® system is manufactured and marketed by Evalve, Inc. (Menlo Park, CA, USA). For more information go to: www.evalveinc.com
• TAVI (transcather aortic valve implantation) is offered to patients with severe aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis happens when one of the valves in the heart – the aortic valve – narrows, restricting the flow of blood through the valve and making the heart pump harder, which can lead to breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness, blackouts and ultimately heart failure. The valves are produced by Edwards Lifesciences (Edwards SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve). Visit Edwards Lifesciences website
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust comprises Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, St Mary’s and Western Eye hospitals.  It is the largest Trust in the country, and in partnership with Imperial College London, is the UK’s first academic health science centre (AHSC)
• The AHSC was created to take the research discoveries it makes and translate them into new and improved treatments and techniques to directly benefit patients throughout the Trust

ENDS 

For more information please contact :
Caroline Weller 
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust press office
Telephone: 020 7886 1331
Email: caroline.weller@imperial.nhs.uk