Clip Aids Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair

A self-closing clip eliminates the need for sutures and knot tying, greatly reducing the time of minimally invasive mitral valve repair.

In recent years, a shift has been made from conventional mitral valve repair, usually by a mechanical prosthesis, to a less-invasive robotic-assisted method, whereby the mitral valve's form and function are restored physiologically. This minimally invasive approach requires less time and is expanding the indication for repair to a large group of patients who are currently unlikely candidates for conventional mitral valve operations due to the length of cardiopulmonary bypass time.

Using the clip device, the time required for the minimally invasive approach has been further reduced by eliminating sutures and knot tying. Called U-Clip, the device is the product of Coalescent Surgical (Sunnyvale, CA, USA; www.coalsurg.com). The device is being used for coronary anastomoses and also for peripheral vascular, pediatric, and thoracic applications.

"Although this was only our first annuloplasty repair with the U-Clip, we were able to reduce our average ring placement time by 38% compared to our conventional technique using standard sutures,” said W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., M.D., professor and chair of the department of surgery at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (Greenville, NC, USA). "Continued development of both this technique and technology will certainly open minimally invasive mitral valve repair to a greater number of surgeons and patients alike.”




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