The Christ Hospital Health Network Performs World’s First Mitral Valve Repair Using PASCAL Ace with Capture Clarity

CINCINNATI (November 5, 2026) – The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular team, led by Santiago Garcia, MD, performed the world’s first mitral valve repair using the PASCAL Ace with Capture Clarity system. The device, from Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in degenerative mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) procedures.

Mitral regurgitation occurs when the heart’s mitral valve does not close properly, allowing blood to leak backward. The condition can cause fatigue and shortness of breath. Transcatheter mitral valve repair allows physicians to treat the leaking valve through a catheter inserted into a vein in the leg, without open-heart surgery.

The PASCAL Ace with Capture Clarity system is the first FDA-approved TEER device to include fluoroscopic indicators that provide confirmation when valve leaflets have been grasped, addressing a challenging step in TEER cases and simplifying procedural complexity.

"Building on the PASCAL system's intuitive design, the Capture Clarity indicators provide a novel and easy way of confirming leaflet capture, which is critical and can be challenging. This simplifies placement of the device and increases confidence in our ability to achieve a successful M-TEER outcome," said Santiago Garcia, MD, Director of the Structural Heart Program and Harold C. Schott Endowed Chair in Structural Heart Disease at The Christ Hospital Health Network and Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education.

About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For 138 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up of more than 1,300 physicians and more than 7,600 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #3 hospital in Ohio and named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2026.

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