It is important to remember that you are not alone: your concerns about open-heart surgery are shared by many others with valvular heart disease. And the option of valve repair or replacement in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, as opposed to the operating room, can seem particularly attractive. However, transcatheter mitral valve surgery is relatively new, and is not currently approved for general usage in the United States. Should you travel to another country to get the work done? I would not make that choice lightly. Novel clinical techniques should be welcomed and explored, but I would also respect our countrys protocol of FDA approval, which helps to protect people from as-yet unproven procedures.
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