Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome. It results from any structural or functional impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood. HF is a significant burden for the healthcare system, due to a 50% 5y-years mortality rate and high rates of hospitalization. It represents a major public health concern, affecting around 13M people worldwide.

A major risk factor for heart failure is a myocardial infarction, which causes ventricular remodelling, a significant enlargement of the left ventricle. During remodeling, the ventricle enlarges, making the heart even less effective at pumping blood. This results in displacement of the papillary muscles and enlargement of the mitral annulus. Progressive papillary muscle displacement leads to severe Functional Mitral Regurgitation (regurgitation of blood through the valve causing backflow of blood) in about 20% of the patients. These patients are the only ones currently receiving surgical or transcatheter treatment because of the severity of the condition. The remaining 80% of patients don’t experience severe FMR and therefore are not considered for surgery. They will continue to suffer, and likely die since there is no therapeutic option available.

Cardiac Success is developing the V-sling system, a transcatheter ventricular repair device intended to improve cardiac function in HF patients. The device is positioned around the bases of the papillary muscles. It holds the muscles together thereby directly improving ventricular function and correcting the geometry of the mitral valve apparatus. As consequence, the system transforms a risky open-heart surgical procedure into a transcatheter procedure. This enables treatment of the 80% of HFrEF patients that can’t be treated with the existing FMR treatments.