Valtech Cardio, a company out of*Or Yehuda, Israel, won*European CE Mark approval to introduce its Cardioband*annuloplasty system. The Cardioband allows for Minimally Invasive reconstruction of the Mitral Valve using a*transfemoral, transseptal delivery system, avoiding open heart surgery that can be dangerous for fragile patients.
The procedure is done endovascularly, without stopping the heart, and the actual valve*leaflets and*chordae are **t touched during implantation. It is performed under echo and fluoro guidance, and results in a similar outcome achieved through*open heart surgery. This should allow other treatments, such as artificial valves, to be used in the future.
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In a multicenter feasibility trial including more than 50 patients, Cardioband was shown to significantly reduce annular size, with significant improvement in MR. *After six months of follow-up, 82% of patients (n = 22) were categorized in NYHA Class I-II, with significant improvement of quality of life (Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire) score of 38 to 18 [p