Mitral valve

Cardiologists and heart surgeons who perform this procedure can repair the mitral valve by attaching a clip to the mitral valve (called a MitraClip or PASCAL). This clamp ensures that the valve closes better again, helping to restore normal blood flow through the heart. How does the therapy work? The procedure is performed on the beating heart in a specially equipped hybrid operating room, without opening the chest or connecting the patient to a heart-lung machine. To access the mitral valve, a flexible, long guide catheter is inserted through a vein in the groin and advanced to the heart. This catheter is then used to attach the mitral clamp to the mitral valve to close better again. During the procedure, physicians can check the position of the clamp on the beating heart and, if necessary, correct it as often as needed until the desired best possible reduction in insufficiency is achieved because the reduction in mitral regurgitation is monitored in real-time by ultrasound. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. The patient only needs to stay in the hospital for a few days afterwards.

For whom is the therapy suitable?

Percutaneous mitral valve reconstruction with a mitral staple is particularly suitable as an alternative for patients with severe mitral regurgitation who have a high surgical risk - for example, due to concomitant diseases or advanced age. This procedure can lead to a significant improvement in the quality of life for these patients. Each case is discussed individually by a multidisciplinary cardiac team to determine the optimal strategy that also meets patient expectations. With experience of thousands of transcatheter mitral interventions, our team is one of the most qualified in Switzerland and in Europe to perform this therapy with the highest level of safety and quality.