Heart failure has become a real epidemic condition related to poor outcomes despite advances in medical therapies. Prevalence of significant mitral and/or tricuspid regurgitation is high in patients with advanced heart failure. Novel transcatheter techniques have recently emerged as a minimally invasive alternative in patients deemed high-risk for surgery or inoperable. Among them, MitraClip® system is thus far the first device that received regulatory approval and gained widespread clinical application, especially in patients with functional mitral regurgitation. Furthermore, first experiences with new devices for percutaneous mitral and tricuspid valves repair, and transcatheter mitral valve prosthesis have been increasingly reported. Percutaneous therapies for valvular heart disease have therefore become one of the most promising fields in the present and future of interventional cardiology and heart failure.
Part of the book: Interventional Cardiology