New Technology Offers Alternative To Open Heart Surgery

... A new method of treating mitral regurgitation (MR), the leaking of blood through the mitral valve into the heart chamber, provides a less-invasive alternative to open heart surgery. A study published in Journal of Interventional Cardiology found that a variety of advances have allowed for the potential treatment of MR through various catheter techniques, similar to angioplasty. While over 50,000 mitral valve surgical procedures are performed annually, open surgery is an undesirable option, especially for high-risk patients. ...