By Carol Davis For The Mail On Sunday
Published: 22:16 GMT, 16 February 2019 | Updated: 22:17 GMT, 16 February 2019
View
comments
A tiny titanium ‘clothes peg’ could save thousands of Britons with a common heart condition from an early grave.
The implant – the size of a 2p coin – is now available to NHS patients suffering from heart valve disease, in which the valves that control the flow of blood through the heart function poorly and may leak.
The operation is minimally invasive, slashing the time required in theatre from 12 hours to just three, so it is suitable even for those unfit for open-heart surgery.
About 1.5 million Britons over 65 have heart valve disease and this number is set to double by 2046. Most commonly, patients experience problems with the mitral valve that supplies blood to the heat’s main pumping chamber.
Provided that patients are otherwise in good health, they can undergo surgery to repair a leak. But many are not fit for the operation, so their health deteriorates rapidly. Studies show that about half of patients with severe mitral valve disease who are too sick to undergo valve repair surgery will die within two years.
The new Mitraclip implant works by ‘clipping’ the two flaps of the mitral valve back together, stabilising it and improving blood flow to and from the heart. NHS watchdogs have now recommended Mitraclip for all appropriate patients following the results of a major US trial.
The study found it halved the number of patients admitted to hospital for heart problems, as well as the number of deaths two years after treatment.
The mitral valve lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle – the main pumping chamber of the heart – and assures passage of oxygen-rich blood in the right direction.
The valve has two flaps that open as blood is pushed through them. They then close, stopping the blood flowing backwards.
However, when the valve becomes damaged, oxygenated blood can start slipping back into the atrium instead of being pumped around the body. Complications include
