Heart Health: Doctors Devise Less Invasive Valve SurgeryBy Steve Sternberg, USA TodayLeaky heart valves can be fixed without major surgery by guiding a tiny, clothespin-like clip into place from an incision in a vein in the groin, doctors said Sunday. The clip was designed to fix leaky mitral valves, diagnosed in 250,000 people in the USA each year. Doctors say the new research heralds a new era, one in which major heart defects can be repaired without slicing open the chest to reach the heart. "This is a huge advance," says study leader Ted Feldman of NorthShore University Health System in Evanston, Ill. "We've had patients who can't feed themselves because they're exhausted just lifting a fork. A few days later, they're walking around." Complete Story >> http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-15-heartvalve15_ST_N.htm |