A Fully Percutaneous Mitral Ring: The Cardioband System

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common disease affecting >4 million patients either in the United States or the European Union. Cardioband is the first fully percutaneous direct annuloplasty ring designed for the treatment of MR in patients not suitable or at high risk for open-heart surgery. In this chapter, the authors describe the rationale behind the use of this technology, the current clinical experience, and possible future directions. MR is usually categorized in two different groups: degenerative MR and functional mitral regurgitation. Many reports have shown that mitral repairs with adjunctive annuloplasty have better durability compared to ringless repairs. The procedure of Cardioband implantation is a step-by-step, predictable, and reproducible procedure, in which each step is reversible until the anchor is released, resulting in an enhanced level of safety and control throughout.