The Gainesville-based Georgia Heart Institute recently achieved another clinical milestone when its Structural Heart team successfully performed a minimally invasive transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) using a new device to treat a patient.
The new device is intended to improve the quality of life for patients with severe TR (Tricuspid regurgitation) who may have otherwise needed a more invasive surgery. This was the first time it had been used in a non-trial U.S. commercial setting.
“We’re pleased to offer new hope to patients dealing with a leaky tricuspid valve,” said Ronnie Ramadan, MD, an interventional cardiologist and director of the Structural Heart Center at Georgia Heart Institute. “Georgia Heart Institute is committed to providing patients with access to the latest innovative therapies and the best care available, and offering this treatment option is just one way we’re doing that.”
Dr. Ramadan led the team that performed the TriClip procedure at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville.
“Historically, treating people with tricuspid valve regurgitation has been challenging,” Dr. Ramadan said. “Many of these patients are older and have other health conditions, so open-heart surgery is not a good option for them. This device gives those patients a new option, and we were proud to be the first site in the United States to perform this procedure now that it is available commercially.”
TR occurs when the tricuspid valve’s flaps do not close properly between the heart’s two right chambers — the right ventricle and right atrium. This allows blood to flow backward into the right atrium, causing shortness of breath, fatigue and other symptoms.
During a tricuspid TEER procedure, the TriClip device is delivered to the heart through a tiny tube — called a catheter — through a vein in the patient’s leg. TriClip is about the size of a dime. It clips together the tricuspid valve’s flaps to prevent blood from flowing backward. This helps the heart pump blood more efficiently, relieving the patient’s symptoms.
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