Non-invasive techniques to treat ailing heart valves most effective: Dr Rajneesh Kapoor

Patiala, August 10, 2025: “Non-invasive techniques to treat ailing heart valves are most effective and there is urgent need to spread awareness on it. The aged people affected by ailing valves are forced to live poor, healthy lives. The heart valves can be repaired without surgery and patients can live a healthy life.”

Punjab Rattan awardee from Patiala, Dr Rajneesh Kapoor a leading cardiologist and chairman of Interventional Cardiology at Medanta the Medicity Gurgaon, while addressing a press conference here on Sunday said that MitraClip is a minimally invasive device used to treat mitral valve regurgitation—a condition where the heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly, allowing blood to flow backward into the heart.

Talking about non-invasive MitraClip technique to treat mitral valve regurgitation, Dr Kapoor said that the “The mitral valve sits between the left atrium and left ventricle. When it leaks, some blood flows backward during each heartbeat. This can reduce the efficiency of the heart and lead to symptoms or complications. The symptoms include fatigue or feeling unusually tired, shortness of breath, especially when lying down, heart palpitations , swollen ankles or feet and irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Some people may have no symptoms for years, especially if the leakage is mild.”

In MitraClip, a small clip is implanted via catheter to help the mitral valve close more completely. It is designed for patients who are too high-risk for open-heart surgery and used in a procedure called Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER), Dr Kapoor informed.

Pushpinder Garg (67) who recently underwent MitraClip by Dr Kapoor said that earlier he was facing great hardship in living his normal life. He could not do anything due to shortness of breath and fatigue. He also could not go for another surgery as he already had an aortic valve replacement surgery and his old age well. Now he is perfectly well and leading his normal healthy life.

Dr Kapoor said, “In MitraClip a catheter is put through a vein to reach the mitral valve to implant the clip to reduce regurgitation without opening the chest.It is an advanced technique which highlights the latest generation of MitraClip and its precision.”

Elaborating MitraClip benefits, Dr Kapoor said that there is no need for open-heart surgery, shorter recovery time and effective in reducing symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath.

Speaking on aortic stenosis , Dr Kapoor said that it is the most prevalent type of heart valve disease affecting a million patients worldwide annually. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR or TAVI) is a procedure that is performed to replace aortic valve through a catheter, this does not entail cutting the chest wide open and many patients can resume routine activities in 3-4 days' time, said Dr Kapoor.