The maker of a device that can hasten the repair of faulty heart mitral valves has raised $3.2 million in a Series A to expand from concept to clinic. Maryland-based Harpoon Medical has a surgical tool in the works that could simplify the process of cardiac mitral valve repair considerably – bringing a six-hour operation down to 60 minutes.
The image-guided, minimally invasive device essentially allows surgeons to access the mitral valve in a beating heart through a small incision in the ribs – bypassing the need for cardiac arrest or cardiopulmonary bypass, which is the standard of care. Additionally, Harpoon says the simpler procedure could reduce hospital stays from weeks to a matter of days. Harpoon describes the process in a touch more detail:
The tool enters the left ventricle transapically and inserts “bulky knot” neochords in the leaflet to eliminate mitral valve regurgitation.
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The investigational technology was developed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; Harpoon Medical was founded in 2013.
The round was led by Epidarex Capital, along with the Maryland Venture Fund, the Abell Foundation, and a number of private individual investors.