Adventist Health Glendale further expanded its Advanced Structural Heart Disease program with the implementation of MitraClip surgeries. Such procedures, which treat mitral regurgitation, or a leaky heart valve, are less invasive than other heart surgeries; a tiny incision is made in the groin area, rather than opening up the chest for riskier open heart surgery, Adventist surgeons said. It’s also an option for patients who are told they’re not a candidate for traditional surgery. “This cutting-edge interventional cardiology service reduces risk and speeds recovery for patients,” an Adventist representative told the Business Journal. The hospital performed its first two successful MitraClip surgeries on May 27, Adventist said in a statement. It’s one of nine hospitals in the Los Angeles area to offer the procedure. Drs. Amir Solhpour and Amir Sadrzadeh Rafie performed the first MitraClip surgeries. “A lot of these patients are elderly, or are patients with other medical problems who are not actually a good candidate for surgery, or high risk for open heart surgery,” said Solhpour. “(Open heart) surgery requires several days if not more than a week of hospitalization, long term recovery and has a higher chance of complications for people with other medical issues.” A patient that undergoes a MitraClip surgery can resume normal activities 48 hours after being discharged from the hospital, Solhpour said.
