Mitral Valve Disease
Mitral Regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation occurs when there is a backflow of blood between two of your heart chambers. This blood “leaks” from the left ventricle back into the left atrium. This causes extra work for the heart and lungs.
MitraClip
At UNC we are now able to offer a less invasive procedure that decreases the backflow of blood and repairs the mitral valve. The MitraClip procedure is used for patients that are high risk or not candidates for open-heart surgery. We can now use this therapy to treat both degenerative (primary) and functional (secondary) mitral regurgitation. The size of a mitraclip is comparable to the size of a dime. We insert the clip with catheters through the vessel in your groin up to the heart and place the clip on the leaflets of your mitral valve to reduce the leak.
When surgery is needed for your mitral valve, you want an expert team that offers the highest likelihood of mitral valve repair to restore the natural function of your own mitral valve. Our cardiac surgeons provide the highest level of care with outstanding results at mitral valve repair.