Edge-to-edge repair using the MitraClip system is indicated in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who are at high risk for open-heart surgery due to comorbidity or reduced cardiac function. However, less is known about pre-procedural risk factors for mortality and morbidity following MitraClip implantation. Consecutive 25 patients with severe MR who underwent MitraClip therapy (mean age, 77 years old, 14 males) were included. Right heart catheterization and echocardiographic data before and after the procedure were collected and their prognostic impacts were investigated. Acute procedural success was 96%. At one week following MitraClip repair, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remained unchanged and left ventricular end-diastolic volume tended to be smaller. Cardiac index and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) were markedly improved following the procedure (P < 0.001 for both). In the multivariate analyses using baseline characteristics, both lower LVEF (hazard ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.30-0.89) and higher mPAP (hazard ratio 1.23, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.56) were independently associated with post-procedural 1-year death or heart failure readmission (P < 0.05 for both). The lower LVEF and higher mPAP group had lower 1-year survival free from HF readmission compared with those without (16.7% versus 100%; P < 0.001). In conclusion, a combination of baseline mPAP and LVEF might be a useful tool in predicting post-MitraClip procedural clinical outcomes.
Keywords: Heart failure; Hemodynamics; Valve disease.