AltaValve™
The heart has four chambers—two atria and two ventricles—with four valves that regulate blood flow through those chambers. The right atrium receives oxygen-depleted blood from the body and pumps it into the right ventricle, which pumps the blood to the lungs to receive fresh oxygen.
The mitral valve controls the flow of oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left ventricle. When the left atrium contracts, the mitral valve opens, allowing blood to flow into the left ventricle. When the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve closes, preventing blood from flowing backward into the left atrium. This ensures that blood flows through the heart in one direction, allowing it to pump blood efficiently throughout the body.
What Is Mitral Valve Regurgitation?
Mitral valve regurgitation is the most common valvular heart disease worldwide. It occurs when the mitral valve does not close tightly, allowing blood to flow backward into the left atrium. Severe mitral valve regurgitation can affect the heart’s ability to pump blood, which can lead to life-threatening complications, such as congestive heart failure. Even so, many patients with mitral valve regurgitation are untreated.
How Is Mitral Valve Regurgitation Treated?
Traditionally, treatment for severe mitral valve regurgitation involved open heart surgery to repair or replace the faulty valve. Recently, transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) has emerged as a promising alternative to surgery. However, the procedure is technically challenging due to the wide range of mitral valve anatomies.
A first-in-kind TMVR device, AltaValve incorporates unique features designed to overcome most of the anatomical limitations of TMVR. As such, AltaValve has broadened the treatable patient population to include both primary and secondary mitral regurgitation patients who are at risk for open-heart surgery. It is also the only device designed to treat patients with previous valve repair.
Tampa General Hospital was the first in the Southeastern United States to successfully complete a TMVR procedure using groundbreaking AltaValve technology. As one of only five healthcare systems approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to participate in a feasibility study using AltaValve for TMVR, TGH continues to pioneer new technologies that save and enhance many lives.
What Is AltaValve?
A prosthetic heart valve created by a 3D printer, AltaValve is designed to precisely conform to the patient’s physical measurements. As such, it is a treatment option for a wide range of mitral valve anatomies.
Featuring a novel supra-annular fit and a distinct atrial-only fixation that preserves the dynamics of the left ventricle, AltaValve is engineered to eliminate many of the anchoring and fixation difficulties inherent in other TMVR technologies. As a result, it minimizes the risk of certain complications, such as:
- Device embolization
- Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction
- Left ventricular dysfunction (chordae tendineae rupture)
How Is AltaValve Used?
AltaValve is implanted in the left atrium during a minimally invasive procedure performed by an interventional cardiologist, who may use a transapical or transseptal approach. Positioned above the native mitral valve, AltaValve is fully functional within seconds after its deployment, helping to maintain adequate blood flow to meet the body’s demands (hemodynamic stability).
What to Expect With AltaValve
After a TMVR procedure, the patient can expect a period of recovery and adjustment. There may be some discomfort or pain at the incision site, which should improve with time.
To promote healing and help prevent complications, the patient should closely follow their treatment team’s post-operative instructions regarding:
- Activity level
- Diet
- Medications
The patient will also need to follow up with their healthcare team regularly to monitor their progress and ensure the AltaValve is functioning properly.
How Effective Is AltaValve?
In preliminary clinical trials of AltaValve, patients experienced significant improvement in heart function as well as reduced symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation and heart failure.
Benefit From World-Class Care at TGH
The outstanding team in TGH’s Interventional Cardiology Center of Excellence in the Heart and Vascular Institute is continually redefining the solutions for mitral valve regurgitation. We are proud to offer the latest breakthroughs in TMVR, and AltaValve represents a major step forward in this field. If you would like to learn more, contact us to request a consultation with a heart specialist.