MitraClip at Beacon

A treatment to repair leaky heart valves

If you have a leaky mitral valve, also called mitral regurgitation, it’s important to know your treatment options. But first, what is a leaky mitral valve?

The mitral valve opens and closes to control the direction of blood flow in the heart. Controlling blood flow direction is vital to getting blood to the rest of the body. When the mitral valve is weak, it can’t close all the way, allowing blood to flow backward – making it a “leaky valve.” Because the heart has to work harder to keep blood moving, a leaky valve can lead to irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and heart failure.

The MitraClip Clip Delivery System™ helps the mitral valve close more completely. This minimally invasive procedure, performed by Beacon’s cardiology and vascular experts, can repair your heart and restore your quality of life faster and with less pain.

How MitraClip works

Since 2013, the MitraClip has improved the lives of over 100,000 mitral regurgitation patients.

The MitraClip is shaped like a miniature clothespin – smaller than a dime – and is implanted in the heart via a thin tube, called a catheter. By clipping onto the valve, MitraClip helps the valve close more completely and restores normal blood flow. This can help alleviate symptoms of heart failure and increase quality of life shortly after the procedure takes place.

Is the MitraClip right for you?

There are many causes of mitral valve regurgitation, and cases range from mild (requiring no procedure) to severe. In severe cases, signs of heart failure related to the leaky valve can include:

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Dry, hacking cough
• Frequent urination
• Fainting
• Swollen ankles and feet

If you experience these symptoms and/or have been diagnosed with mitral regurgitation, but you aren’t a candidate for mitral valve surgery, ask your doctor if MitraClip is right for you. They’ll connect you to an interventional cardiologist and clinical cardiologist who will discuss the next steps for repairing your mitral valve – and getting you back to health.

Providers

Our heart team physicians are fellowship-trained and experienced, and our multidisciplinary clinical team will care for you and keep you as comfortable as possible as you recover.