Innovative heart clip improves quality of life (Canada)

A simple clip device to treat mitral regurgitation, a form of heart valve failure, is providing a new option for patients with severe symptoms who thought they were out of treatment options. The mitral valve separates the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart and is designed to ensure that blood flows only in one direction from the left ventricle to the rest of the body. When this valve does not close as tightly as it should, a condition known as mitral regurgitation, blood leaks backward from the pumping chamber into the left atrium. As a result, the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body, leading to fatigue, shortness of breath, irregular pulse and other symptoms. Eventually, if left untreated, severe mitral valve regurgitation can cause irreversible heart failure