The largest study to examine outcomes for patients treated with a minimally invasive procedure to repair a poorly functioning mitral valve in the heart found that the procedure was safe and resulted in a successful repair for nearly 9 out of 10 patients, researchers reported. Patients whose procedure was successful were half as likely to die within one year. "Our analysis showed that in an older patient population with limited therapeutic options, transcatheter-based mitral valve repair was safe and was effective in reducing valve leakage from severe to moderate or less in almost 90% of patients," said Raj R. Makkar,...