NHLBI DIR Transcatheter Mitral Cerclage Annuloplasty Early Feasibility Study

Functional mitral regurgitation (also known as secondary mitral regurgitation) is a common complication of left ventricular dysfunction. Ventricular dysfunction leads to dilation, which in turn leads to mitral annular dilation and leaflet traction. This causes a failure of coaptation of the otherwise intact leaflets of the mitral valve, leading to regurgitation through a central orifice between the mal-coapting leaflet tips. Functional mitral regurgitation contributes to heart failure symptoms. Transcatheter Mitral Cerclage Annuloplasty (TMCA) is a new catheter technique that reduces the septal-lateral dimension of the dilated annulus through circumferential compression, prevents extrinsic compression and entrapment of coronary arteries by incorporating a protection element, and exhibits planar discordance that achieves annular reduction even when the coronary sinus is anatomically located along the posterior left atrial wall. This is an entirely right-sided procedure and device.