Percutaneous Mitral Valve Delivery System

Brief Description

Valvular heart disease is the third most common cause of cardiovascular disease in the United States. Although replacement of dysfunctional valves markedly reduces the morbidity and the mortality associated with severe valvular disease, a substantial number of patients with valvular heart disease go untreated or undertreated either due to the lack of access to affordable healthcare, or due to comorbidities that preclude successful surgical valve replacement.

The percutaneous approach to valve replacement is a welcome option for many patients since it bypasses aggressive surgery and reduces the associated comorbidities based on the minimally invasive nature of the procedure. Percutaneous valve replacement avoids open heart surgery in severely ill patients and reduces the number of reoperations in young patients with congenital heart defects. Percutaneous heart valve replacement has been developed and is being evaluated for aortic valve stenosis.

Each year there are more than half a million patients discharged with the diagnosis of mitral regurgitation. About 18,000 patients undergo mitral valve surgery. However there are no on-going clinical trials evaluating a percutaneous valve delivery system for mitral valve replacement due to the mitral valve’s unique anatomical position.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a method and device for the percutaneous delivery of a mitral valve.

Patent Status