Mitralign Gets $35 Million For Less Invasive Mitral Regurgitation Treatment
By Adam Pick on May 18, 2012
As we continue to track the new technologies impacting heart valve treatment, I thought you might like to know about an interesting treatment method for mitral regurgitation. The Mitralign device enables physicians to repair a mitral valve using a catheter-based procedure instead of an incision to the sternum or ribs.
Unlike the Mitraclip, another transcatheter technology which clips the mitral valve leaflets together to reduce regurgitation, the Mitralign system repairs a dilated mitral valve by reducing the size of the annulus which moves the leaflets closer together. The result is a decrease in mitral insufficiency.
- To see a video of the Mitralign technology, please click here. As I watched this video, I began to see how this technology is similar, in concept, to the surgical use of an annuloplasty ring. To learn more about annuloplasty rings, click here.
Mitralign is currently conducting clinical studies. Ultimately, its recent $35 million financing, will be used to secure a European CE Mark that will enable Mitralign to market the device overseas. As you may be aware, this approach is common for companies with new technologies that eventually apply for FDA approval here in the United States.
As we continue to learn more about this and other exciting technologies, I’ll continue to feature them here in this blog.
Keep on tickin!
Adam