February 5, 2008 – A medical team led by Adrian Ebner, M.D., of French Hospital and Lutz Buellesfeld, M.D. of Helios Heart Center, Siegburg, Germany, performed the first implantation of the Mitralign Percutaneous Annuloplasty System for mitral valve repair at French Hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay.
The Mitralign System was able to remodel the valve and reduce the patient’s mitral regurgitation from 3 to 2 , 24 hours after the procedure based on core lab assessment. The patient spent less than 48 hours in the hospital after the procedure and continues to do well at home.
The Mitralign System emulates the open surgical procedure of suture-based mitral annuloplasty. The implant was percutaneously delivered through a single 14F femoral arterial sheath, and provides direct geometric reduction of the posterior annulus. commented on the system’s clear impact on the mitral valve geometry.
"I have been involved with a number of mitral valve repair approaches; this approach is most exciting because it delivers on its promise to affect the valve on demand," said Dr. Ebner.
The case will be presented at two conferences this month, Cardiovascular Revascularization Therapies in Washington, D.C., by Prof. Dr. med. Eberhard Grube and the Joint Interventional Meeting, in Rome, Italy, by Paul Teirstein, M.D.
For more information: www.mitralign.com
