Edge-to-edge repair of the mitral valve is a well-established surgical technique in human patients whereby the edges of the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets are sutured together at the point of maximal regurgitant flow to resolve prolapse of the anterior leaflet and attenuate or resolve valvular insufficiency.
The Mitra-Clip, a percutaneously implantable device which clamps the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets together, was developed from this concept of edge-to-edge leaflet approximation for patients where open-heart surgery is high-risk or contraindicated. Since USA FDA approval in 2013, the Mitra-Clip has been utilized for the treatment of mitral insufficiency in over 150,000 patients worldwide and has demonstrated a survival benefit which is comparable to traditional open-heart surgical repair and significantly superior to optimized medical management.
The V-Clamp is the recent veterinary adaption of the Mitra-Clip. The device is delivered by transapical puncture under fluoroscopic and 3D transoesophageal guidance in a hybrid approach via mini-thoracotomy. The procedure is low-risk and has a high procedural success rate and offers an alternative to medical management for canine patients with stage B2 & C myxomatous valve degeneration. While to date, VCA has had a favourable experience treating MMVD patients with TEER using the V-Clamp, long-term survival studies which have demonstrated superior outcomes in human patients have not yet been performed in dogs.
The Mitra-Clip, a percutaneously implantable device which clamps the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets together, was developed from this concept of edge-to-edge leaflet approximation for patients where open-heart surgery is high-risk or contraindicated. Since USA FDA approval in 2013, the Mitra-Clip has been utilized for the treatment of mitral insufficiency in over 150,000 patients worldwide and has demonstrated a survival benefit which is comparable to traditional open-heart surgical repair and significantly superior to optimized medical management.
The V-Clamp is the recent veterinary adaption of the Mitra-Clip. The device is delivered by transapical puncture under fluoroscopic and 3D transoesophageal guidance in a hybrid approach via mini-thoracotomy. The procedure is low-risk and has a high procedural success rate and offers an alternative to medical management for canine patients with stage B2 & C myxomatous valve degeneration. While to date, VCA has had a favourable experience treating MMVD patients with TEER using the V-Clamp, long-term survival studies which have demonstrated superior outcomes in human patients have not yet been performed in dogs.
