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HCA Virginia’s Henrico Doctors’ Hospital has become the first hospital in Central Virginia to perform a mitral valve repair for severe mitral regurgitation, using the latest MitraClip G4 system.
A leak in the mitral valve allows blood to flow back into the heart as it pumps. The heart has to work harder to keep blood flowing, which can raise the risk for life-threatening conditions like stroke and heart failure. When MR becomes severe, it can profoundly affect a person’s quality-of-life by causing shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms; if left untreated, MR can ultimately lead to heart failure and death.
For people with a severe leak in the mitral valve who are too high-risk for traditional open-heart surgery, the cardiology team at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital can now implant the MitraClip G4 device through a small, minimally-invasive incision in the leg. The treatment works by clipping together portions of the leaflets, or flaps, of the mitral valve to reduce MR, which allows the heart to pump blood more efficiently, thereby relieving symptoms and improving a patient’s quality of life.
Patients tend to have a short hospital stay – on average, two days – and experience improved heart function almost immediately. The therapy has now treated more than 100,000 patients worldwide.
Henrico Doctors’ Hospital also provides advanced treatment options for patients suffering from severe aortic stenosis, a life-threatening condition which affects approximately 2.5 million people over the age of 75. Through the innovative SAPIEN 3 Ultra valve platform, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital provides transcatheter aortic valve replacements for patients with severe aortic stenosis at low or greater risk for open-heart surgery, helping to increase patients’ quality of life and avoid the risk of another open-heart procedure.
