Mitral Valve Positive Findings
A minimally-invasive treatment option for mitral valve regurgitation got a recent boost from a study finding fewer post-treatment hospitalizations for heart failure and also fewer deaths for all reasons. Abbott’s MitraClip is available for patients who are considered high risk for surgery. The valve is third generation technology and is delivered through a catheter inserted into the femoral artery. Click here for a Star Tribune article and here for a MedPageToday article.
New Aortic Valve Under Consideration
A new Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) valve called the Lotus Edge, made by Boston Scientific, could receive FDA approval by mid-2019. Benefits of the Lotus Edge are reported to be low rates of paravalvular leak (PVL) as well as reduced need for permanent pacemaker implantation. Click here for more info from Boston Scientific, and here for an article about the possible approval.
Bicuspid Valve Study
The valve maker Medtronic currently is studying low-risk TAVR patients with biscuspid valves, a condition in which a person is born with an aortic valve with only two leaflets instead of three. In the early use of TAVR, persons with a bicuspid aortic valve were disqualified from having a TAVR procedure. Click here to see an article about this clinical trial.
Connect with Trials
Patients interested in participating in clinical trials for low-risk TAVR, TAVR for bicuspid valves, or for mitral valve repair (or for other conditions), can view possibilities here. Antidote states its mission as “accelerat[ing] breakthroughs in potentially life-saving treatments by bridging the gap between medical research and the people who need it.”
