"Clips for the heart" - a new medical procedure will save thousands of patients

Makes it possible to repair a leak in the heart valve for life-threatening patients who cannot withstand open heart surgery * Three critically ill patients at the Heart Center of Sheba Hospital underwent the procedure last week with great success

Minimally invasive medicine takes one step forward in the field of cardiology. At the heart center in Sheba, they performed a new catheterization treatment last week, in three very serious patients. The procedure in patients was performed one after another and was crowned with great success. For one of the patients, it was a last chance to save her life. The treatment can benefit thousands of heart patients who suffer from a leak in the heart valve (mitral valve insufficiency - MR: Mitral Regurgitation), but cannot undergo open heart surgery to repair the valve, because of their physical condition, in which the operation may be Deadly for them. The "Mitra Clip" method offers modern and advanced technology, developed by the vascular division of the global "Abbott" company and suitable for patients suffering from a leak in the mitral (left) valve of the heart. The method allows heart patients,

Young and old alike, to safely and non-invasively fix the leak in the valve, without risking their lives. So far, the method has been successfully tested on over 2,000 patients worldwide, and is now also available in Israel.
The new procedure repairs the leak in the heart's mitral valve by attaching the valve leaflets with a special clip, which allows the heart to pump blood more efficiently. This operation is identical to the operation performed in open heart surgery (in which the chest is "opened", the heart valve is reached and it is "stitched") - except that it does not include the risks associated with this type of surgery. The valve leak occurs when the leaflets in the mitral valve do not close fully and cause blood to flow back into the left atrium of the heart during the cardiac cycle. To maintain a state of sufficient blood flow to the entire body, the heart compensates by enlarging the left ventricle. This condition forces the heart to overwork, and may eventually lead to heart failure, stroke, heart attack and even death. During the operation itself, you can see in "real time" that the leak has stopped, and if not, you can reposition the clip, or put another clip on the patient and stop the leak immediately.
According to Dr. Goite, director of the catheterization service at the heart center at Sheba Hospital, and the person who performed the procedure: "I am happy that we were able to help these patients, for whom this was a life-saving procedure. This is an important and groundbreaking method that gives good news to heart patients who are at high risk for surgery. Until now, heart surgery was the only option available to patients who suffered from a leak in the valve, when many of them suffer from other diseases at the same time and the surgery is very dangerous for them."