Last year, Knoxville native Lois McGinnis found out she needed surgery to repair a leaky valve in her heart. But as someone who’d already had a kidney transplant, open heart surgery wasn’t an option.

When Open Heart Surgery Isn’t an Option

Heart surgeon, Dr. Raymond Dieter and her cardiologist, Dr. Carmelo Venero, are members of the Heart Lung Vascular Institute, one of our seven Centers of Excellence. They used a minimally invasive procedure to insert a device called a MitraClip into Lois’s heart to repair the valve. The MitraClip is a great option for patients who can’t have open heart surgery due to age or health.

“I Have More Energy Than Before”

Lois also had her kidney transplant 25 years ago at UT Medical Center. She said, “I learned with my transplant not to worry or think about anything. At UT Medical Center I had top-notch teams. I put myself completely under their care.”

Lois and her husband have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, who they enjoy spending time with. “I had a great recovery after my MitraClip,” she said, “and have more energy than before to enjoy my life.”