First minimally invasive mitral valve repair performed at HCA Florida Blake Hospital

Brandenton, FL — HCA Florida Blake Hospital performed its first Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) on a patient with mitral valve regurgitation on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The procedure is effective for patients who are considered too high risk for mitral valve surgery.

Mitral valve regurgitation is a condition in which the heart’s mitral valve does not close tightly, allowing blood to flow backward in the heart and toward the lungs. If the mitral valve regurgitation is significant, it can lead to heart failure. Treatment options for severe mitral valve regurgitation include minimally invasive heart surgery and TEER.

“Patients with mitral valve regurgitation have a weakened valve,” said cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Alessandro Golino. “This procedure uses a minimally invasive catheter-based approach and is often performed on high-risk patients who are not candidates for open-heart surgery.”

The TEER procedure is done in tandem by a cardiovascular surgeon and an interventional cardiologist in the hospital’s state-of-the-art hybrid cardiac catheterization lab. Unlike traditional heart surgery, TEER is a closed-chest treatment that takes place while the heart is still beating. This procedure eliminates the need for a heart-lung machine, reduces the procedural risk and shortens recovery time for patients.

“Our first case at Blake using the MitraClip device was a success,” said interventional cardiologist Gino Sedillo, MD, FACC. “We were able to guide the device through a catheter into the heart. By deploying the clip and precisely positioning it within the mitral valve, we effectively mitigated the leakage.”

HCA Florida Blake Hospital is committed to providing the highest level of cardiac care to the community. As part of this commitment, the hospital has renovated its catheterization labs and is introducing new procedures in addition to TEER, recently performing Manatee County’s first non-thermal ablation.

“The MitraClip technology is a great addition to our growing cardiovascular program,” said Steve Young, chief executive officer at HCA Florida Blake Hospital. “We are really proud to offer this life-saving procedure to our community.”