Echocardiographic guidance and assessment of percutaneous repair for mitral regurgitation with the Evalve MitraClip: lessons learned from EVEREST I

J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2007 Oct;20(10):1131-40. doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2007.02.003. Epub 2007 Jun 13.

Abstract

Objective: Percutaneous mitral repair is rapidly developing as an alternative to cardiac surgery in select patients. The Evalve percutaneous E2E system uses the MitraClip to replicate the surgical suture-based approach. This procedure requires real-time echocardiographic guidance in a unique and significant collaboration between echocardiographer and interventionalist. transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is used as the primary imaging modality to guide this procedure and is essential to its success.

Methods: In EVEREST I, the US multicenter phase I safety and feasibility trial, 47 patients with 3 or 4+ mitral regurgitation (MR) were enrolled. The trial involved a standardized echocardiographic imaging protocol with a standardized anatomic-based vocabulary, predetermined standard TEE views, preprocedural strategy meetings, and display of echocardiographic aids to optimize communication and procedural efficiency during placement of the clip.

Results: TEE guidance facilitated the creation of a double-orifice mitral valve in all 47 patients enrolled (100%), and 40 patients were discharged with 1 or more clips (85%). At discharge, successful placement of a clip and <or= 2+ MR was present in 34 patients (74%). The standardized approach contributed to a reduction in the time to perform the procedure over the course of the trial at both initial and new sites.

Conclusions: TEE is essential to the guidance of percutaneous MitraClip E2E repair. A streamlined approach to echocardiographic guidance, using predetermined standardized views, a common anatomic-based vocabulary, preprocedural strategy meetings, and a display of echocardiographic aids in the catheterization laboratory shortens the procedure time and allows for efficient percutaneous repair.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase I
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Blood Flow Velocity / physiology
  • Cardiac Catheterization
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures / instrumentation*
  • Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / methods*
  • Echocardiography, Transesophageal / methods*
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Mitral Valve Insufficiency / diagnostic imaging
  • Mitral Valve Insufficiency / physiopathology
  • Mitral Valve Insufficiency / surgery*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome