Minimally Invasive Repair of Elongated Chordae Tendineae in the Mitral Valve

In the United States, about 4 million people have been estimated to suffer from severe mitral valve regurgitation [5]. Due to the high risks involved, about half of those patients are ineligible for surgery to repair the valve, because of their poor health [6]. Elongation of the chordae tendineae has been found to be one of the significant causes of regurgitation. To address this, the team has developed a device called “Chord Fastener”, which will restore proper function to the valve via shortening of the chordae tendineae [1]. Via this shortening mechanism, the device will reduce mitral valve regurgitation and will be used in a minimally invasive cardiac procedure. Over the course of two academic semesters, the design and testing of the Chord Fastener was undertaken. The resulting prototype has demonstrated good promise that with refinement, it can function as intended and meet the project requirements