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Updated: May 23, 2026

Fully Endoscopic Mitral Valve Repair with Percutaneous Cannulation of Groin Vessels
Published on: May 26, 2023
Novel Technique for Salvaging an Embolized Balloon-Expandable Valve During Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement
Lida Koskina1, Antony Kaliyadan2, John Wang2
1MedStar Health Georgetown University Internal Medicine Residency (Baltimore) Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Objective:
Salvaging an embolized balloon-expandable valve (Edwards Sapien 3 Ultra) from the left atrium during transcatheter mitral valve replacement.
Key Steps:
1) Secure the embolized valve in the left atrium. 2) Use multiple snares to crimp and snare the outflow of the valve into a more conical shape to facilitate valve retrieval. 3) Align the valve in the inferior vena cava to avoid obstruction. 4) Proceed with planned transcatheter mitral valve replacement. 5) Consider closure of the iatrogenic atrial septal defect (ASD).
Potential Pitfalls:
Failure to retrieve the valve from the left atrium may require emergent cardiotomy. Improper alignment or insecure deployment of the valve in the inferior vena cava can lead to obstruction or distal embolization. In addition, a large iatrogenic ASD can lead to right ventricular failure. Finally, closure of the ASD without valve replacement will jail future access.
Take-Home Message:
In vivo crimping of the outflow of the Edwards Sapien 3 Ultra valve can allow for retrieval of the valve through the atrial septum without surgery.
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