An estimated 1 in 40 Canadians live with heart valve disease, including leaky heart valves. Treatments for leaky heart valves are common, including those for the mitral valve. The mitral valve regulates blood flow through the heart. When it leaks severely, blood flows backward instead of forward, placing enormous strain on the heart and lungs.
While many cases develop gradually and can be planned for, sudden valve rupture, often following a heart attack or structural damage, can cause patients to deteriorate rapidly. Blood pressure can collapse, fluid can flood the lungs, and patients frequently require intensive care support. Without rapid and effective treatment, these cases can be fatal.
Access to highly specialized care during an emergency saves lives.
A sudden mitral valve rupture is rare and can quickly become life-threatening. In these critical moments, the mitral team at Southlake Health performs an advanced repair using the MitraClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair system, an innovation by Abbott, a global healthcare leader. Southlake is one of only two community hospitals in Canada providing this highly specialized procedure.
Prior to the availability of the Abbott’s MitraClip, patients experiencing acute rupture required emergency open-heart surgery, a complex, high-risk procedure performed on individuals who were already critically ill. Survival rates were historically poor.
The MitraClip has changed that trajectory.
Rather than opening the chest, Southlake’s cardiac team guides the small clip to the heart through a vein in the leg. The device helps the valve close more effectively, restoring forward blood flow without the strain of open-heart surgery. The minimally invasive approach reduces procedural risk and avoids the bodily stress of a major surgery – an especially critical advantage for fragile patients in crisis.
“When a mitral valve suddenly fails, the heart is essentially working against itself. Patients can struggle to breathe, their blood pressure can collapse, and they often end up in intensive care,” said Justin Chow, MD, Division Head of Cardiac Intensive Care and Medical Cardiology at Southlake Health. “Being able to repair the valve through a small incision in the leg, instead of major surgery, is remarkable. We’re seeing patients recover who, years ago, we might not have been able to save.”
Last year alone, Southlake performed 6 emergent MitraClip procedures where the papillary muscle rupture, in addition to 45 regularly scheduled or urgent cases, responding when time was critical and the margin for survival was narrow.
Delivering this level of care requires a highly coordinated, specialized team.
“Southlake Health is delivering a level of advanced cardiac intervention not available in most community hospitals. In fact, even among Canadian centres that perform MitraClip procedures, many do not have the capacity to manage emergent procedures,” said Warren Cantor, MD, Division Head of Interventional and Structural Cardiology at Southlake Health. “Our cardiac program has built the expertise, imaging capability, anesthesia support, and critical care infrastructure necessary to respond not only to planned structural heart cases, but to sudden emergencies. These situations require immediate decision making, precision, and seamless teamwork. That readiness saves lives.”
The procedure also relies on expert cardiac anesthesia to manage patients whose cardiovascular systems are already under extreme stress.
“These are some of the most fragile patients we care for,” said Daniel Kim, MD, Anesthetist at Southlake Health. “Their hearts are under tremendous strain, so every medication, every adjustment, and a timely procedure matters. My role is to keep the patient stable while the interventional team repairs the valve. It’s a team effort and having that capability here means patients receive lifesaving care without losing precious time.”
Southlake’s ability to provide this care locally ensures that critically ill patients receive timely intervention when it matters most. Many of these patients are too unstable to be transferred to another TEER centre and require immediate care.
Southlake is helping patients across northern York Region, southern Simcoe County, and beyond access advanced, life-saving care close to home. Patients can focus on recovering with their loved ones nearby, instead of worrying about complex transfers that would their delay treatment.
Delivering leading edge cardiac care, close to home
Southlake’s cardiac program continues to push the boundaries of what community-based care can deliver to combine innovation, expertise, and rapid response, giving patients not just treatment, but a second chance.
“Advanced cardiac care is no longer defined only by geography – it’s defined by readiness, expertise, and teamwork,” said Christopher Overgaard, MD, Chief of Cardiac Health. “Southlake Health has developed a program capable of responding to complex heart emergencies with the same level of precision you’d expect from large academic centres. That capability changes outcomes, and it changes what patients in our community can expect when seconds matter.”
As a Level 7 Regional Cardiac Program, Southlake’s contributions to advancing cardiac care extends far beyond operating and procedure rooms. The highly skilled team of medical staff and staff provide almost every type of cardiac care, with the exception of heart transplants, to patients who no longer need to travel far distances to Toronto. As leaders in their fields, the team actively participate in ground-breaking research and are often the first to perform leading edge procedures in Ontario, Canada and even the world. Southlake continues to collaborate with international experts to enhance cardiac care and improve patient outcomes globally.
Photo 1:
From left to right: Daniel Kim, MD, Anesthetist; Warren Cantor, MD, Division Head of Interventional and Structural Cardiology at Southlake Health; and Justin Chow, MD, Division Head of Cardiac Intensive Care and Medical Cardiology at Southlake Health.
Photo 2:
MitralClipTM Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) by Abbott.
