What Are MitraClip and TriClip?
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Overview
Heart valve diseases can seriously affect quality of life and, if untreated, lead to heart failure and life-threatening complications. The mitral valve sits between the left atrium and left ventricle and prevents blood from leaking backward to the left atrium. The tricuspid valve lies between the right atrium and right ventricle and controls forward flow on the right side of the heart. When either valve becomes leaky (regurgitant), blood flows backward, the heart works harder, and symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling (edema), and reduced exercise capacity appear.
MitraClip® and TriClip™ are minimally invasive, catheter-based devices used to repair (not replace) these leaky valves—MitraClip for the mitral valve, TriClip for the tricuspid valve. Both use a technique called Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) to bring the valve leaflets together and reduce leakage, typically without the need for open-heart surgery.
At MedicalPoint Hospital, our multidisciplinary Structural Heart Team (Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Imaging, Anesthesiology, Heart Failure, and Nursing) evaluates each case to select the safest and most effective therapy.
What Is MitraClip?
MitraClip treats mitral regurgitation (MR)—a condition in which the mitral valve does not close completely, allowing blood to leak backward with each heartbeat. During MitraClip TEER, a small, cloth-covered clip is delivered through a thin catheter inserted from the leg vein (femoral vein), advanced into the heart, and positioned across the mitral valve under transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and fluoroscopy guidance. The clip grasps the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets, creating a secure connection so the valve closes more effectively and leakage decreases.
What you may experience on procedure day
- Performed with general anesthesia or deep sedation
- No chest incision; access through a puncture in the groin vein
- Continuous imaging (TEE + X-ray) to guide precise placement
Most patients sit up the same day and go home in 1–3 days, depending on overall health
What Does MitraClip Do?
By reducing MR, MitraClip can:
- Improve symptoms: less breathlessness, more stamina, less swelling
- Enhance quality of life and daily activity level
- Reduce heart-failure hospitalizations in appropriately selected patients on optimal medical therapy
- Support left-ventricular function by lowering the backward volume load
Clinical note: Suitability depends on valve anatomy (leaflet length/quality, coaptation gap, presence of calcification) and the type of MR (degenerative/primary vs. functional/secondary). Your cardiologist will confirm this with detailed echocardiography.
Who Is Eligible for MitraClip?
Not every patient with MR needs MitraClip; some do well with medicines, and others benefit more from surgical repair. Typical candidates include people who have:
- Moderate-to-severe or severe MR with ongoing symptoms (e.g., NYHA class II–IV) despite guideline-directed medical therapy
- High or prohibitive surgical risk due to age, frailty, prior heart surgery, reduced heart function, lung/kidney disease, or other comorbidities
- Favorable valve anatomy for grasping (confirmed by TTE/TEE)
- Functional (secondary) MR where the ventricle is dilated, after medications and, when appropriate, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) have been optimized
Who is not a candidate? Patients with active endocarditis, intracardiac thrombus, significant mitral stenosis or very small valve area, or anatomy that cannot be safely grasped are generally unsuitable. Your team will review all imaging and labs to decide.
Who Performs the MitraClip Procedure?
MitraClip is performed by an interventional cardiologist trained in structural heart interventions, working closely with:
- A cardiac imager (for real-time TEE guidance)
- A cardiac anesthesiologist
- A cardiac surgeon (as part of heart-team decision-making)
- Specialized catheterization-lab nurses and technicians
Experience matters: Outcomes are best in centers with established structural heart programs—like MedicalPoint Hospital—where patient selection, imaging, and post-procedure care are standardized.
What Is TriClip?
The TriClip system adapts the same TEER concept to treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR)—leakage of the tricuspid valve that often causes leg/ankle swelling, abdominal bloating, liver congestion, fatigue, and frequent hospital admissions for right-sided heart failure. Because the tricuspid valve has three leaflets and a larger, more variable anatomy, TriClip devices and delivery systems are engineered to accommodate these differences.
How TriClip is delivered
- Access is typically through the femoral vein
- Under TEE/ICE (intracardiac echo) and fluoroscopy, the clip is maneuvered to the tricuspid valve
- One or more clips grasp the appropriate leaflets to reduce the regurgitant orifice
What Does TriClip Do?
TriClip aims to:
- Reduce backflow across the tricuspid valve by improving leaflet coaptation
- Relieve symptoms (less swelling, less breathlessness on exertion, improved exercise tolerance)
- Lower diuretic needs and reduce hospitalizations in suitable patients
- Improve quality of life, often within weeks as fluid overload decreases
Because TR is frequently related to annular dilation, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, or pacemaker/ICD leads, careful imaging is critical to plan clip position(s) and anticipate challenges.
Who Performs the TriClip Procedure?
TriClip is performed by experienced structural interventional cardiologists with specific training in tricuspid TEER, supported by:
- Advanced echocardiographers (TEE/ICE)
- Anesthesiology and heart-failure specialists
- A cardiac surgeon participating in shared decision-making
- A dedicated structural heart nursing team for peri-procedural care and recovery
Who Is Eligible for TriClip?
TriClip can be considered for patients with significant symptomatic TR who remain limited despite optimal medical therapy (usually diuretics and management of rhythm/blood pressure). Common scenarios include:
- Severe primary or secondary TR with NYHA class II–IV symptoms
- High surgical risk or factors that make open tricuspid surgery undesirable
- Suitable leaflet anatomy for grasping (adequate leaflet tissue, reasonable coaptation gap) as confirmed by comprehensive echo
Who may not be eligible?
Active infection, intracardiac thrombus, extreme leaflet tethering with very large gaps, severe pulmonary hypertension not amenable to treatment, or anatomy heavily distorted by device leads may limit feasibility. (Pacemaker/ICD leads are not absolute contraindications but require expert planning.)
Safety, Risks, and Follow-Up (applies to both MitraClip and TriClip)
Although TEER is minimally invasive, it is still a major cardiac procedure. Potential risks include:
- Bleeding or vascular complications at the groin
- Heart rhythm disturbances, transient low blood pressure
- Stroke/TIA (rare), pericardial effusion (heart-lining fluid)
- Residual leakage, single-leaflet device attachment (SLDA), or need for a second clip
- Infection or, rarely, need to convert to surgery
After discharge, most patients resume light activity quickly. You’ll receive:
- Heart-failure optimization (diuretics, guideline-directed medications)
- Echo follow-up to confirm durability of repair
- Lifestyle guidance: salt/fluid management, cardiac rehabilitation when appropriate
MitraClip and TriClip, by offering a minimally invasive repair option, can improve symptoms and quality of life while avoiding the trauma of open-heart surgery in selected patients. However, the “best” treatment is never one-size-fits-all. Careful heart-team evaluation, detailed imaging, and discussion of goals and risks are essential to choose wisely.
At MedicalPoint Hospital, we provide end-to-end care—from advanced imaging and heart-team review to the procedure itself and structured follow-up—so you receive a plan tailored to your valve disease, overall health, and personal preferences.
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Cardiology
The Cardiology Department provides comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of heart and vascular diseases with a patient-centered approach. With advanced technology and experienced specialists, we deliver high-quality care for both acute cardiac conditions and long-term heart health.
