MitraClip Therapy demonstrates benefits for heart failure patients

August 29, 2011 in Cardiology

Results of an observational study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting today in Paris demonstrate that the percutaneous catheter-based MitraClip treatment improves symptoms and promotes reverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR), who do not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

The trial, called PERMIT-CARE, is an investigator-led study evaluating the safety and efficacy of MitraClip treatment in 51 patients with clinically significant functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) at seven European centers. All patients had unchanged symptoms and unchanged left ventricular volumes after at least six months of CRT. Nearly all patients enrolled in the study were considered ineligible for due to a high estimated .

Results of the study demonstrate that FMR reduction with MitraClip treatment is feasible, safe, and leads to substantial improvement in NYHA functional class and reverse LV remodeling in approximately 70 percent of patients.

"Results of this study suggest that MitraClip treatment could offer, for the first time, a solution for who have severe MR and are unresponsive to CRT," said Angelo Auricchio, M.D., Ph.D., the study's lead investigator, of the division of Cardiology at the Fondazione Cardiocentro Ticino in Lugano, Switzerland. "Surgery is not a good option for these patients because of their advanced and low ejection fraction. We have shown that they were significantly improved following treatment with the MitraClip device. I look forward to additional prospective studies to confirm our findings and to evaluate appropriate timing of MitraClip treatment in heart failure patients."

CRT is a treatment for , a common problem with significant prevalence and mortality, both of which increase with advancing age. Severe FMR is common in patients, including approximately one-third of those indicated for CRT therapy. CRT often reduces MR; however, MR has been reported to persist in about 20-25 percent of CRT treated patients, and in an additional 10-15 percent MR may actually worsen after CRT treatment.

Results of the study will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The MitraClip system is designed to reduce significant MR by clipping together the leaflets of the mitral valve, one of the four valves of the heart. The catheter-based MitraClip device is delivered to the heart through the femoral vein, a blood vessel in the leg. The heart beats normally during the procedure, and therefore does not require a heart-lung bypass machine. After treatment, patients are usually home within two to three days and have been observed to recover quickly. The safety and efficacy of the MitraClip system were evaluated in the EVEREST II randomized clinical trial.

Provided by European Society of Cardiology search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Study identifies superior hypertension treatment, efficacy between sexes

(Medical Xpress)—In a recent subgroup analysis of the largest blood pressure treatment trial in history, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers found that women and men react the same to ...

Cardiology created 7 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Evaluating a new way to open clogged arteries

Over the past few decades, scientists have developed many devices that can reopen clogged arteries, including angioplasty balloons and metallic stents. While generally effective, each of these treatments ...

Cardiology created 8 hours ago | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Biomarker trio predicts near-term heart risk

(Medical Xpress)—Cardiologists have identified a trio of biomarkers that may predict which patients with heart disease have a high risk of heart attack or death in the next two years.

Cardiology created 9 hours ago | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hospitals' cardiac arrest incidence and survival rates go hand in hand

Hospitals with the highest rates of cardiac arrests tend to have the poorest survival rates for those cases, new University of Michigan Health System research shows.

Cardiology created 23 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Effect of fluid and sodium restrictions on weight loss among patients with heart failure

A clinical trial of 75 patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) suggests that aggressive fluid and sodium restriction has no effect on weight loss or clinical stability at three days but was associated ...

Cardiology created 23 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Genetic variation among patients with pulmonary fibrosis associated with improved survival

Variation in the gene MUC5B among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was associated with improved survival, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with i ...

Genetic risk for obesity found in many Mexican young adults

As many as 35 percent of Mexican young adults may have a genetic predisposition for obesity, said a University of Illinois scientist who conducted a study at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosί.

Low radiation scans help identify cancer in earliest stages

A study of veterans at high risk for developing lung cancer shows that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be highly effective in helping clinicians spot tiny lung nodules which, in a small number of patients, may indicate ...

Shorter duration steroid therapy may offer similar effectiveness in reducing COPD exacerbations

Among patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring hospital admission, a 5-day glucocorticoid treatment course was non-inferior (not worse than) to a 14-day course with regard ...

Race and gender influence diagnosis of COPD

African-Americans are less likely than whites and women are more likely than men to have had a prior diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of their current disease severity, according to a new ...

If you can remember it, you can remember it wrong

(Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo ...