Upstate Veterinary Specialties Successfully Completes First-Ever TEER Procedure

December 9th, 2025 | Posted in General, Procedures / Services

We’re proud to share the success of a new surgical procedure at Upstate Veterinary Specialties. This summer, select UVS team members traveled to China to learn a new cardiology technique, Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) for dogs with severe myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Degenerative valve disease is the most common heart disease seen in veterinary cardiology patients, and many of these patients progress to congestive heart failure (CHF).

In humans with valvular regurgitation, open-heart surgical repair of the abnormal valve(s) is the definitive treatment for this condition. However, this procedure requires cardiopulmonary bypass and is only available for veterinary patients at a few select veterinary centers worldwide.

Transcatheter edge-to-edge (TEER) repair has become a widely accepted technique for treating severe mitral regurgitation in people who are not ideal candidates for open-heart surgery. Worldwide, more than 100,000 human patients have been treated with this technique using the MitraClip (Abbott). This technique is minimally invasive and does not require cardiopulmonary bypass. A similar device, the V-Clamp, is now available for dogs.

In July, members of our team traveled to Shanghai, China, for an extensive CE on this new procedure. In September, we performed our first-ever TEER procedure on Emma. Emma is a 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel diagnosed with Stage B2 Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease. Pictured is Emma with Dr. Cassidy Sedacca after her procedure. A joint effort between our surgery, anesthesiology, and cardiology teams led to the successful placement of a V-clamp. Following her procedure, her heart size will decrease, and symptoms of CHF will resolve, eliminating the need for diuretic treatment.