The spectrum of transcatheter mitral valve replacement devices.

Mitral regurgitation is the most common valvular heart disease. The gold standard for patients not suitable for valve repair is a surgical valve replacement. A significant proportion of patients, however are not referred for surgery due to comorbidities, advanced age or severe LV dysfunction. Transcatheter mitral valve replacement may be a viable therapeutic option for these high risk patients. With improvements in technology and data on the durability of the transcatheter mitral valve, this technology has the potential to be used in a lower risk population. A number of transcatheter systems have emerged recently and are at different stages of investigation. In this review, we outline the key elements and challenges of the transcatheter mitral valve design as well as the status of devices that have reached First in Man status.