YNHH Heart and Vascular Center physicians recently became the first in Connecticut to perform a new procedure for mitral regurgitation. From left are Amit Vora, MD, interventional cardiologist; Prashanth Vallabhajosyula, MD, cardiac surgeon; Rahul Gupta, MD, clinical fellow; and Samuel Reinhardt, MD, cardiologist.
“Balloon-Assisted Translocation of the Mitral Anterior Leaflet” is a mouthful, which is why a new surgical procedure offered through the Yale New Haven Hospital Heart and Vascular Center (HVC) is commonly called “BATMAN.”
In February, HVC physicians became the first in the state to perform the procedure, a novel way to treat severe mitral valve regurgitation in patients unable to have traditional procedures such as open-heart surgery.
Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common heart valve disease. It occurs when the mitral valve between the heart’s top left chamber, the atrium, and the bottom left chamber, the ventricle, doesn’t close all the way. Blood is supposed to flow from the atrium to the ventricle, but with MR, some flows backward into the left atrium. MR may cause fatigue, shortness of breath and eventually heart failure.
YNHH surgeons use a variety of techniques to repair or replace the mitral valve, but certain patients with severe MR and other conditions might not be good candidates for these procedures.
BATMAN is a minimally invasive procedure in which physicians insert a catheter with a deflated balloon into the blood vessels of a patient’s leg and thread it to the mitral valve. The physician then uses the balloon to reshape or reposition one of the leaflets (flaps) that make up the mitral valve. The technique ensures the valve closes all the way and reduces regurgitation.
The innovative procedure in February was led by cardiologists Amit Vora, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine; Samuel Reinhardt, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, YSM; and John Forrest, MD, professor of Medicine, YSM, and director of the Structural Heart Disease Program, together with cardiothoracic surgeon Prashanth Vallabhajosyula, MD, surgical director of the Yale New Haven Health HVC Aortic Institute and associate professor of Surgery, YSM. The patient was discharged two days later and is doing well.
“The Yale team’s successful execution of this advanced treatment underscores our commitment to pioneering cardiac care as an academic health system,” said Eric Velazquez, MD, physician-in-chief, YNHHS HVC, and Robert W. Berliner, professor of Medicine, YSM.
Learn more about MR procedures and other treatments offered at the HVC
