Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair Using the Edge-to-Edge Technique: First Greek Experience

Introduction: Mitral valve (MV) repair is the treatment of choice for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR), but the surgical options for functional MR are limited. Percutaneous edge-to-edge MV repair using the MitraClip system has evolved as a new tool for the treatment of certain anatomical subsets of both functional and degenerative MR. We present the first Greek series of MV repair using the MitraClip. Methods: Five symptomatic patients (age 75 +/- 9 years, logistic EuroSCORE 29 +/- 11%) with moderate-to-severe (n=2) or severe (n=3) MR underwent MV repair using the MitraClip. All patients were treated with one clip and there were no primary adverse events. Results: Acute MR reduction by 3 grades was achieved in 2 patients and by 2 grades in 3 patients (reduction >= 2 grades in 100%). The total procedure time was 2.9 +/- 2 hours (median 2 hours), the length of the ICU stay was 1 0 day and the total length of hospital stay was 3.2 +/- 0.6 days. All patients reported functional status improvement by 1 month (mean NYHA class improved from 3.0 +/- 0.3 to 1.6 +/- 0.6). Conclusion: Our initial experience with percutaneous MV repair using the MitraClip system demonstrated that it can be performed safely, resulting in substantial acute echocardiographic and early clinical improvement.