MitraClip® for mitral valve repair

The Cardiac Innovations & Structural Heart Center® team at the Heart Hospital of Edward-Elmhurst Health offers MitraClip® for patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) who are too sick for open-heart surgery:

  • Edward-Elmhurst is ranked No. 1 in Illinois for MitraClip procedures performed among non-academic providers.* 
  • We are the first community hospital in the Chicago area to treat severe MR patients with the device.
  • We are one of only six hospitals in Illinois to offer MitraClip.
    • *(IHA, COMPdata 2018)

A minimally invasive treatment for mitral regurgitation

Mitral regurgitation (MR) occurs when a weakened mitral valve "leaks", or allows blood to flow back into the heart. Severely leaky mitral valves can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, and an irregular heart rhythm.

Ordinarily, treating severe MR involves open-heart surgery to repair or replace the leaky valve. But surgery isn't for everyone. If you've been told traditional surgery for MR is too risky, the MitraClip device may be a good alternative. The procedure has been shown to control MR, improve cardiac function and reduce hospitalizations for heart failure.

The MitraClip procedure requires not a single physician but a team of highly qualified physicians working together.

A patient's story of survival

High-risk heart patient Franklin "Del" Sandberg, was diagnosed with AFib and MR. When his symptoms worsened, he was told he was out of options because he had already had a bypass. But then he learned there was an alternative to open heart surgery to repair his leaky heart valve, and another alternative to treat his AFib without the need for medication. Read Franklin's story

Getting the MitraClip at Edward-Elmhurst Health

To implant the MitraClip, we'll make a small puncture in your groin area and insert a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) into a vein in your leg. We'll thread this tube up to the left side of the heart, where your mitral valve is located. Then we'll guide the MitraClip device through the catheter and position it over the leaky valve.

Using a delivery system connected to the MitraClip, we'll make precise adjustments to ensure the tiny clips on the device grasp your mitral valve's leaflets (tissue flaps on the valve that open or close to control blood flow), and pull the leaflets together to stop or reduce the leaky valve.

You will be put under anesthesia for the procedure, which typically takes 1-3 hours. More than 90 percent of patients go home the next day after receiving the MitraClip.

Am I a good candidate for MitraClip?

The FDA requires that candidates for the MitraClip procedure have MR that's caused by the mitral valve, not an issue with the heart itself. Good candidates also must be considered too high-risk for traditional surgery.

You should not receive the MitraClip procedure if you have one of the following conditions:

  • A clot inside the heart or inside the vessels through which we deliver the device
  • Active infection of the mitral valve
  • Active inflammation of the heart (endocarditis)
  • High risk for bleeding and inability to tolerate blood-thinning medication
  • Rheumatic mitral valve disease

Ready to learn more about the MitraClip device?

Ask your doctor for a referral to our Cardiac Innovations & Structural Heart Center at the Heart Hospital of Edward-Elmhurst Health. We'll work with you to determine if MitraClip is a good treatment option for your mitral regurgitation. You also can view an animated example of the MitraClip procedure:

For more information, call 630-527-3730.

Fill out our online form to request more information