Immediate reduction of mitral regurgitation by percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip®

A 78-year-old male presented with shortness of breath due to severe mitral regurgitation. His medical history revealed terminal renal failure for which he received haemodialysis. Two months before admission he had been seen for an acute coronary syndrome, for which he was treated with a percutaneous coronary intervention including rotablator of the left anterior descending and left circumflex arteries. Echocardiography showed an impaired left ventricular function and a severe ischaemic mitral regurgitation with a posterior jet. He was denied surgery of the mitral valve because of his high surgical risk (logistic EuroSCORE: 21%), and accepted for percutaneous mitral valve repair using the MitraClip^®. At this moment in Europe the MitraClip^® is considered a useful technique for high-risk and inoperable patients, in contrast with the low-risk patients treated in the EVEREST trial.1 …