A grandmother, who was unable to walk or go to the bathroom, thought her life would soon be over. She is one of 4 million people who suffer from a common heart valve problem.
In less than two hours with no incisions, the 90-year-old is a new woman, thanks to MitraClip therapy.
MitraClip therapy is a minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure that goes up the groin. Betty Sanders had this procedure done instead of open-heart surgery. Sanders told Action News Jax that it gave her a second chance at life.
“I think, ‘Oh God, this is the last breath, you know’ and I really did. It was awful,” said Sanders.
Sanders suffered from mitral regurgitation, in which the mitral leaflets in her heart didn’t close tightly, causing excess blood to flow to her heart and lungs. Baptist Health Jacksonville's Dr. Ruby Satpathy performed the MitraClip procedure on Sanders in March, and real-time imaging helped her guide the catheter through Sander’s body, so she could clip the heart valve.
“If you imagine (a) big hole there or opening, and we bring these two leaflets together by grasping those with the clip. It's like stitching it,” said Satpathy.
The clip, developed by healthcare company Abbott, holds the valve together to reduce the blood flow going in the wrong direction. Days after the surgery, Sanders was able to attend a family Easter party. Doctors said there is no incision, reducing the recovery time.
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