Maneuvers for technical success with transcatheter mitral valve repair.

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is common, with a prevalence that exceeds 9% for those patients >75 years of age. For symptomatic patients with prohibitive surgical risk, transcatheter mitral valve repair with the MitraClip® system (Abbott Vascular, Menlo Park, CA) is available for clinical use and is effective in reducing MR in select patients. For optimal clinical success, the procedure requires mastery of complex catheterization skills with application of an in-depth understanding of the mitral valve anatomy. We herein describe elementary and advanced maneuvers for successful transcatheter mitral valve repair with MitraClip® . © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

First Experience With Percutaneous Mitral Valve Plication as Primary Therapy for Symptomatic Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Few therapeutic options exist for patients with severe heart failure due to obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who are at unacceptable surgical risk. We hypothesized that percutaneous plication of the mitral valve could reduce left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and associated mitral regurgitation, thereby leading to amelioration of heart failure symptoms. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the potential effectiveness of percutaneous mitral valve plication as a therapy for patients with symptomatic, obstructive HCM. METHODS: Six patients (age 83 ± 8 years; 5 women), judged as not optimal candidates for septal myectomy, were referred for management of severe, drug-refractory heart failure symptoms due to obstructive HCM (New York Heart Association functional class III). Each underwent percutaneous mitral valve leaflet plication to reduce systolic anterior motion (SAM) and mitral regurgitation using the transcatheter mitral clip system. RESULTS: The procedure was completed in 5 patients with placement of a single clip at the A2-P2 segments of the mitral valve. One other patient experienced cardiac tamponade, leading to termination of the procedure. Among the 5 treated patients, percutaneous plication with the eliminated SAM and consequently decreased the intraoperative LVOT gradient (91 ± 44 mm Hg to 12 ± 6 mm Hg; p = 0.007), left atrial pressure (29 ± 11 mm Hg to 20 ± 8 mm Hg; p = 0.06), and mitral regurgitation grade (3.0 ± 0 vs. 0.8 ± 0.4; p = 0.0002) associated with improved cardiac output (in n = 4; 3.0 ± 0.6 l/min to 4.3 ± 1.2 l/min; p = 0.03). Over follow-up of 15 ± 4 months, symptom improvement to New York Heart Association functional class I or II occurred in all patients. Follow-up echocardiography after 15 ± 4 months demonstrated continued absence of SAM and significant reduction in mitral regurgitation, although high systolic LVOT velocities (i.e., >4 m/s) were evident in 3 of the 5 treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: This is a report of percutaneous mitral valve plication as a primary therapy in the management of severely symptomatic, obstructive HCM patients. This initial experience suggests that percutaneous mitral valve plication may be effective for symptom relief in such patients via reduction of SAM and mitral regurgitation. The significance of persistent elevations of LVOT velocities in some patients requires further study.

Initial Experience With Commercial Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter mitral valve (MV) repair with the MitraClip received approval in 2013 for the treatment of prohibitive-risk patients with primary mitral regurgitation (MR). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to report the initial U.S. commercial experience with transcatheter MV repair. METHODS: Data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry on patients commercially treated with this percutaneous mitral valve repair device were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 564 patients (56% men, median age 83 years), severe symptoms were present in 473 (86.0%). The median Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality scores for MV repair and replacement were 7.9% (interquartile range: 4.7% to 12.2%) and 10.0% (interquartile range: 6.3% to 14.5%), respectively. Frailty was noted in 323 patients (57.3%). Transcatheter MV repair was performed for degenerative disease, present in 90.8% of patients. Overall, MR was reduced to grade ≤2 in 93.0%. In-hospital mortality was 2.3%; 30-day mortality was 5.8%. Other 30-day events were stroke (1.8%), bleeding (2.6%), and device-related complications (1.4%). The median length of stay was 3 days (interquartile range: 1 to 6 days), with 84.0% patients discharged home. Overall, procedure success occurred in 90.6%. Variables associated with reduction in MR were end-diastolic dimension, MR severity, clip location, and case volume. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of the initial commercial U.S. experience, it was found that procedural success was achieved in approximately 91% of patients, and the majority of patients were discharged home with moderate or less MR. These data support the effectiveness of this therapy in appropriately selected high-risk patients in a commercial setting. Further study is required to determine the long-term impact of transcatheter MV repair in this patient population.

Percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation: patient selection, techniques and outcomes.

Paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation is common, affecting 5-10% of surgical prostheses and 40-70% of transcatheter valves. While many patients may suffer no significant morbidity, paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation can lead to heart failure and haemolytic anaemia, and, in some studies, has been associated with impaired survival. Over the past several years, percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation has been demonstrated to be a highly efficacious therapy. When performed in experienced centres, procedural success with percutaneous repair occurs in 90% of patients. Due to the complex nature of the techniques, there is a significant learning curve with a high potential for prolonged procedures (∼2.5 h) and complications (∼5%), although death is rare (∼0.5%). Percutaneous repair of paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation requires a close collaboration between imaging specialists, surgeons and the interventional operators. Importantly, successful percutaneous repair obviates the need for open surgical correction, which can be high risk or prohibitive due to the need for reoperation in the setting of comorbidities. Herein, we discuss appropriate patient selection, the catheter-based techniques and outcomes of percutaneous repair for symptomatic paravalvular prosthetic regurgitation.