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Our Services / Mitral Clip

Mitral Clip

A mitral valve clip is an ingenious device that could fix a problem like regurgitation in your heart’s mitral valve. At their offices in Dearborn, Detroit, and Trenton, Michigan, the experts at ARK Cardiovascular & Arrhythmia Center use the cutting-edge MitraClip™. By using a mitral valve clip to repair your damaged valve, the highly skilled cardiologists can resolve your symptoms without open surgery. To find out if a mitral valve clip is right for your heart problem, call your nearest office today, or use the online form to book an appointment.


Mitral Clip Q & A

What is a mitral valve clip?

A mitral valve clip is a small implant that the ARK Cardiovascular & Arrhythmia Center team uses to repair a faulty mitral valve in your heart.

The mitral valve delivers blood from one part of your heart to another before it goes through another valve and into your aorta (the large central artery that transports blood into your body). If the valve isn’t working properly, a mitral valve clip can restore normal function.

The original idea of the mitral valve clip was to help patients who were too sick or at too much risk for open-heart surgery. However, many people with mild to moderate mitral regurgitation also choose this option.

The ARK Cardiovascular & Arrhythmia Center team uses the cutting-edge MitraClip when performing these procedures.

Why would I need a mitral valve clip?

You might need a mitral valve clip if you have a condition called mitral valve regurgitation.

Blood coming from your lungs, where it collects fresh oxygen supplies, goes into one of the four chambers that make up your heart. This chamber, the left atrium, connects to another chamber, the left ventricle, via the mitral valve.

When you have mitral regurgitation, the valve allows blood from the left ventricle to go back into the left atrium. This leakage can cause problems like pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in your lungs), atrial fibrillation (a fluttering atrium), and congestive heart failure.

Your provider at ARK Cardiovascular & Arrhythmia Center might recommend a mitral valve clip to stop the leak and keep blood pumping through the left ventricle.

What happens when I have a mitral valve clip?

The procedure for fitting a mitral valve clip is called transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) for mitral regurgitation. It involves using cardiac catheterization, a minimally invasive procedure that avoids the need for open surgery.

TEER can take several hours to complete, depending on your condition, but is generally an outpatient procedure.

To install the mitral valve clip, your provider uses a thin tube called a catheter that they insert through a small nick in a leg artery. Using image guidance technology, your provider passes the catheter along the artery until it reaches the mitral valve.

The mitral valve clip is a small metal device with a coating of polyester fabric. When the catheter is in the right position, your provider attaches the clip to two areas of the faulty valve. This forms the edge-to-edge repair. The mitral valve clip helps the valve close while still allowing blood to flow at an efficient rate.

To find out more about mitral valves and how they could help with your heart problems, call ARK Cardiovascular & Arrhythmia Center today or book an appointment online.