Health

HEALTH • Fall 2018 13 A bout one in 10 Americans over 75 have a leaky heart valve, accord- ing to the American Heart Association. With an aging demographic, the need to respond spurred Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester to recently add what it says is the first MitraClip XTR in New England. MitraClip XTR, made by Chicago area-based Abbott, is a heart valve repair device used to treat patients who aren't candidates for open-heart surgery, according to Saint Vincent. The hospital, which calls the MitraClip XTR treat- ment potentially life-saving, said the first such procedure at Saint Vincent was performed by Dr. Joseph Hannan and Dr. Robert Bojar this summer. A leaky heart valve, also known as mitral valve regurgitation, is leakage of blood back- ward through the mitral valve whenever the left ventricle contracts. It is often not accompanied by symptoms but may come with palpitations, especially when lying on the left side, according to the American Heart Association. Abbott, which has created earlier versions of its MitraClip treatment, says the catheter- based procedures have helped more than 30,000 people with mitral valve regur- gitation in 40 countries live a better life. Saint Vincent Hospital is first in New England to add heart valve repair device H There is essential, life-saving work going on right here in Worcester. Your organization should be a part of it. Making our community stronger. Making our community healthier. Making a difference. You can become a sponsor TODAY. (Tables are filling up fast!) www.umassmed.edu/winterball { Local Innovation } Heart valve repair device for patiernts who aren't candidates for open-heart surgery

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