CDH offers new procedure for heart patients

WINFIELD - The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital is now offering Mitraclip, a minimally invasive procedure for patients with mitral regurgitation who may not be able to tolerate surgery.

In patients with mitral regurgitation, the mitral valve does not close completely, allowing blood to flow backward or "leak" into the upper chamber of the heart, causing shortness of breath, fatigue and dizziness. The debilitating condition can lead to congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, stroke or death.

"As a national leader in transcatheter mitral valve treatment options, Northwestern Memorial Hospital has one of the highest-volume MitraClip programs in Illinois," said Dr. Patrick McCarthy, executive director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and chief of cardiac surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "By training our team at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, we are bringing advanced care to patients closer to where they live."

During MitraClip implantation, a catheter is inserted through the femoral vein in the leg, up into the heart until it reaches the diseased mitral valve. The MitraClip implant is compressed and advanced along the guide wire so that it can be properly positioned to join or "clip" together a portion of the mitral valve, reducing or eliminating the backward flow of blood.