Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of severe mitral regurgitation prolongs survival and cuts hospital admissions through five years’ follow-up better than medical therapy alone, a large study shows.

US doctors report a 47% lower risk of death or hospitalisation for heart failure (HF) in patients who underwent the minimally invasive procedure with the MitraClip device compared to controls.

They also found that the transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of the mitral valve was safe, with just four device-specific safety events detected, all within a month of the procedure; however, the overall rate of adverse events remained high regardless of treatment type.

“These findings emphasise the need for further therapies to address the underlying left ventricular dysfunction in this high-risk population,” the authors wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine.