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Michael Mann, a 78-year-old from Long Island, has a long history with heart disease and has had numerous surgeries over the years to treat the condition. When he experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing he knew he had to see his doctor.
Mr. Mann found his way to Mathew R. Williams, MD, director of the Heart Valve Center at Ƶ. He was treated with a MitraClip® as part of a clinical trial to determine the efficacy of the device to treat mitral valve regurgitation.
A healthy mitral valve has two flaps that open and close tightly as the heart beats. “But the problem is when the heart enlarges, it pulls the valve further apart,” Dr. Williams tells WCBS.
Successfully placing this clip on Mr. Mann’s mitral valve greatly improved his quality of life. He tells WCBS, “I can walk. I’ve got energy. My family is trying to slow me down.”
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