Forrest General Hospital First in State to Offer New Minimally-Invasive Treatment for Patients with Leaky Heart Valve
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (September 11, 2025) Living with a leaky tricuspid heart valve can make everyday activities harder and leave you feeling tired or short of breath. Now, there’s a new minimally invasive option that helps repair the valve but doesn’t require open-heart surgery. It also provides for a quicker recovery, which gets you feeling better sooner and gets you back to the things you enjoy.
The new Abbott TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system, the first-of-its-kind device to repair a leaky tricuspid valve, is now being offered at Forrest General Hospital for those patients with a leaky heart valve, also known as tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Forrest General is the first in the state to offer this treatment to patients.
“For patients who otherwise have limited, to no other, options to treat a very debilitating and often life-threatening disease, we are excited to be the first-in-state to offer this minimally invasive therapy,” said Dr. Adam Harless, MD, Interventional/Structural Cardiologist at Hattiesburg Clinic Heart and Vascular. “I think this milestone demonstrates our continued dedication to offer the patients of Hattiesburg and surrounding areas the newest in medical technology for treatment of complex conditions without having to travel to a tertiary center.”
Tricuspid valve regurgitation happens when the valve on the right side of the heart doesn’t close tightly, letting blood leak backward. This can cause tiredness, swelling, and shortness of breath. If not treated, it can lead to serious problems like irregular heartbeat, heart failure, or even death. In the past, treatment was limited — surgery was risky and medicines often didn’t help enough. The TriClip device now offers a safer, less invasive option to help people living with this condition.
The TriClip is placed in the heart using a catheter inserted through a vein in the leg. It works by gently clipping parts of the tricuspid valve together to stop blood from leaking backward. Made specifically for the right side of the heart, this minimally invasive treatment helps the heart pump blood more effectively, easing symptoms and improving quality of life for people with TR.
About Forrest General’s Cardiac Services
Forrest General’s Heart and Vascular Services delivers expert care from board-certified cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and vascular surgeons. Services range from diagnostic testing, heart surgery and structural heart treatment to interventional cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation and vascular treatment. For more information, visit www.forrestgeneral.org/heart.
