Kolkata, 11th April, 2025: The new Interventional treatment for repairing the Mitral valve of heart is the latest treatment for defective mitral valve causing leakage of blood. The heart condition is called Mitral regurgitation(MR). This novel procedure reduces the risks associated with traditional open-heart surgery. A breakthrough in medical treatment has arrived in Kolkata, revealed today at the Press Club Kolkata in a press conference hosted by the Healthcare Foundation, an organization involved with spreading health awareness.
Dr. Suvro Banerjee, renowned cardiologist said that the Mitral valve is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle, the two important chambers of the heart, and controls the flow of blood between these two heart chambers. Mitral regurgitation (MR) occurs when the Mitral valve does not close sufficiently, and consequently allows blood to flow backwards from the left ventricle into the left atrium and causes back pressure on the lungs. MR places substantial strain on the heart, as the heart must work harder to pump blood into the left ventricle, against the backflow of blood regurgitating through the Mitral valve.
MR can cause building up of fluid in the lungs and body leading to shortness of breath and tiredness or fatigue and leg swelling. Later stages, it can lead to atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), worsening of liver and kidney function, heart failure and death.
Without treatment, MR usually worsens with time. Although medicines can reduce the symptoms, the effects of long-term MR can result in symptoms and signs of heart failure (breathlessness, fatigue, fluid over-load) despite optimal medical treatment. In these cases, surgical intervention may be necessary to repair the leaking Mitral valve. Until recently, Mitral valve repair has involved open-heart surgery. This method requires a general anesthetic, the breast bone to be cut, and open-heart surgery to be performed. An alternative, less invasive form of Mitral valve repair may now be offered, whereby the Mitral valve is repaired percutaneously (“through the skin”) via the groin using a catheter (thin flexible tube). This method does not require the breast bone to be cut or open-heart surgery to be performed. It is called a ‘Mitral Transcatheter Edge to Edge repair (M-TEER)’ procedure. Mitraclip is the first approved device for M-TEER.
It is our pride that one of the leading Mitraclip experts and cardiologists of our country Dr. Sumanto Mukhopadhyay is now in Kolkata and has been present to the Press Meet. Dr. Mukhopadhyay has said that M-TEER is a day of procedure. The patient will be taken to the cardiac catheterisation lab. Once he is under anaesthesia, the doctor will use “transoesophageal echo” (TOE). A TOE is a special type of ultrasound that uses sound waves to take very clear pictures of the heart. This helps doctors guide the catheters into place in your heart and to guide placement of the clip onto your Mitral valve.
A small puncture is then made in the groin through which the doctor will insert a small tube, followed by a catheter. Using x-ray and echo pictures, the doctor will guide this catheter into the heart. Once this has been performed, we can deliver the Clip into position to repair the Mitral valve.
The Clip holds the two edges of the Mitral valve leaflets in position and reduces the extent of the leak. The end result is a Mitral valve with two or three openings instead of one with blood able to flow through the orifices forwards into the left ventricle.
After the procedure the patient will be taken to the intensive care unit or the recovery unit for observation. Once the condition is stable, the patient will be moved to a cardiology ward and go home in 1-2 days.
Patients usually come to hospital the day before their Mitraclip to allow full preparation and complete any investigations required. We expect he will leave the hospital between one and two days after the procedure and assume normal life within a week.
This procedure reduces Mitral regurgitation, improving the symptoms of heart failure and reducing the fluid overload. It thus improves quality of life, reduces recurrent hospitalization and increases survival.
It is a very low risk procedure with very high success rates. It can even be done in very elderly patients and patients with high surgical risk.
In addition to the doctors, two patients also attended the press conference, sharing their personal experiences with the media – both before and after treatment.
