Doctors in the capital have pioneered a life-saving treatment that uses a "toolkit" to repair leaky heart valves.

The procedure is being offered at Imperial College Healthcare, which runs hospitals in west London.

It involves inserting an expandable device called a MitraClip into the heart. Similar to a DIY rawplug, it clamps onto the mitral valve to stem the leak. The surgery can take only an hour to do.

Millions of people have valves which do not close properly, which means blood being pumped through the heart starts flowing back the wrong way. The condition can cause breathlessness, fatigue, and even heart failure if it is not picked up by doctors.

Until now, open-heart surgery, which is not suitable for some high-risk patients, had been the only suitable treatment.

The new procedure starts with a catheter being inserted through the patient's groin. The MitraClip, introduced via the catheter, is directed to the heart by surgeons watching ultrasound and X-ray scans.

Once in the heart the clip expands. It is passed through the opening of the mitral valve then closed again so that it grasps the flaps of the valve.

This stops blood leaking back through the valve.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Ghada Mikhail, who works at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and is one of the treatment's pioneers said: 'This is cutting-edge treatment and a lifesaver for people who are not eligible for surgery. It takes less time to perform, shortens recovery times and means doctors don't have to stop the heart. We expect new technology like this to significantly improve outcomes in patients."

The MitraClip is manufactured by Californian company Evalve. The treatment was only approved for use in Europe last September. Imperial College Healthcare is one of only two trusts in the country offering it.

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