The cardiovascular team at Washington Regional’s Walker Heart Institute offers mitral valve repair using the innovative MitraClip™ procedure. MitraClip™ is a minimally invasive treatment option for people with mitral regurgitation, or MR, which is one of the most common heart valve diseases. Washington Regional Medical Center is the only MitraClip™ center in Northwest Arkansas and the state’s only MitraClip™ center outside of Little Rock.

The MitraClip™ procedure provides an effective treatment option for patients with MR who may be too high risk for traditional open-heart surgery because of their age, advanced heart failure or other serious conditions. Following the procedure, most patients will notice an almost immediate improvement in symptoms related to their diseased valve and will enjoy a much better quality of life.

A leak in the mitral valve occurs when the valve’s leaflets, or flaps, do not close completely and allow blood to flow back into the heart as it pumps, causing the heart to work harder to keep blood flowing. Mitral regurgitation can cause shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and other debilitating symptoms. People with MR have an increased risk of stroke and heart failure. If left untreated, MR can lead to heart failure and death.

To place the MitraClip™ device, the physician makes a small incision into a vein in the groin and inserts a catheter, which is a long thin tube. The catheter is then guided through the vein and into the heart. Once the catheter is positioned, the MitraClip™ device is delivered to the heart through the catheter. Patients tend to have a short hospital stay following the procedure with most going home within 48 hours, and many patients are able to resume normal activities in the two days following the procedure.