TMVR

Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Regurgitation Treatment in Central Massachusetts and Beyond

Transcatheter mitral valve repair is a minimally invasive procedure for people with mitral valve regurgitation who are considered too high risk for open valve repair surgery. TMVR can ease symptoms, improve your quality of life and help you live longer. The highly experienced interventional cardiologists at UMass Memorial Health can help you decide if TMVR is right for you. 

What Is Mitral Valve Regurgitation? 

Mitral valve regurgitation, or a leaky mitral valve, happens when your mitral valve doesn’t close properly, letting blood flow backward into the upper chamber of your heart. It usually happens when your valve’s leaflets become weak and floppy (mitral valve prolapse) due to heart damage or degenerative changes. 

Mitral valve regurgitation forces your heart to work harder to pump blood. Shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue are common symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation. Left untreated, it can lead to heart failure, atrial fibrillation or a heart valve infection (endocarditis). 

What to Expect During TMVR With MitraClip

TMVR is a catheter-guided procedure to repair a leaky mitral valve. At UMass Memorial, we use the innovative MitraClip device to help your mitral valve close and reduce regurgitation. An interventional cardiologist performs TMVR in our state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab. The procedure takes one to three hours, and most people go home the next day.

During the procedure, your doctor: 

• Makes a small cut in your upper leg
• Inserts a catheter (thin tube) into a blood vessel 
• Uses X-ray and echocardiography guidance to thread the catheter to your heart
• Advances the MitraClip through the catheter and expands it below the valve leaflets
• Ensures the clip is positioned correctly before removing the catheter and closing the incision

Benefits of TMVR

TMVR offers a variety of advantages over surgical heart valve repair, including: 

• Easier recovery
• Lower risk of complications
• Reduced procedure time
• Shorter hospital stay