Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) and congestive heart failure (CHF) are closely associated, FMR causes CHF, and CHF causes FMR. CHF causes the left ventricle (LV) to dilate as the heart tries to work harder. This stretching of the LV puts stress on the mitral valve, causing the mitral annuls to stretch, or dilate, causing, or increasing, FMR. FMR then compromises the cardiac output, forcing the heart to work even harder, causing further progression of CHF and additional LV dilation.
FMR and CHF are a vicious cycle that must be broken.
During the Everest 1 and Everest 2 clinical trials Evalve (now Abbott Vascular) showed improving mitral valve performance, resulted in a 66% reduction in hospitalization for CHF.1
1. Effectiveness of MitraClip for reducing mitral regurgitation; James Hermiller, MD, Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2011