Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Learn About Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Mitral valve regurgitation is leakage of blood backward through the mitral valve each time the left ventricle contracts. A
leaking mitral valve allows blood to flow in two directions during the contraction. Some blood flows from the ventricle through the aortic valve — as it should — and some blood flows back into the atrium. You may feel tired and out
of breath.
If regurgitation is severe, increased pressure may result in congestion (or fluid build-up) in the lungs. It can cause congestive heart failure and possibly pulmonary hypertension.
Treatment for Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Treatment for mild mitral valve regurgitation may include medications to thin your blood. If it is more severe, surgery may be necessary to repair or replace the mitral valve. For some patients, surgery is not an option. For those patients we offer the MitraClip procedure.
For an appointment call the Valve Clinic at 501.552.3400
MitraClip - Treatment for Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Our heart team at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute offers the MitraClip for patients who have severe Mitral Valve Regurgitation and are not able to have mitral valve surgery. This option is less-invasive and the procedure is called transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) with MitraClip therapy. Unlike surgery, the MitraClip procedure does not require opening the chest and temporarily stopping the heart. Instead, doctors access the mitral valve with a thin tube (called a catheter) that is guided through a vein in your leg to reach your heart.
With the MitraClip therapy you typically spend 2 to 3 days in the hospital but soon after the symptoms of mitral regurgitation should disappear and you can get back to doing the activities you enjoy.
Procedures may vary from person to person, but patients are usually released from the hospital within 2 to 3 days
You should experience improvement in your symptoms of mitral regurgitation and quality of life soon after your procedure.
Heart Conditions We Treat
- Aortic Stenosis
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Chest Pain
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Coronary Artery Disease
- ECMO
- Heart Attack
- Heart Valve Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Low Blood Pressure
- Mitral Valve Disease and Regurgitation
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Treatment
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Stroke
- Vascular Disease
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