MitraClip procedure prior to left ventricular assist device implantation

Functional mitral valve regurgitation is a frequent consequence of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with severe heart failure and is associated with a poor prognosis (1). It is anticipated that in this patient group the mitral valve repair, respectively replacement, improves hemodynamics and clinical symptoms (2). As operative interventions with the help of heart-lung-machine are high risk procedures in these cases, the transcatheter mitral repair with MitraClip？ (Abbott Vascular, IL, USA) has recently become frequently used. The MitraClip procedure is safe with high procedural success rate and low procedural mortality (3,4). Most of these cases lead to left ventricular dysfunction, which finally ends in an implantation of a left ventricular assist device, the fastest developing treatment option in cardiac surgery (5-15)