James Hall, 87, is no stranger to heart problems. As someone who’s battled heart disease throughout his life, it was no shock when he began to experience some shortness of breath and fatigue, but thanks to a fairly new and simple heart procedure at Piedmont Athens Regional, Hall’s symptoms have been repaired.

“Heart disease runs in my family, and it’s been something that I’ve dealt with my entire life,” Hall, an Eatonton, Ga. resident, said. “After my heart attack in the late 1980’s, however, my heart problems were well managed, and I’d been doing well.”

Early last year, however, Hall began to experience some unfortunate symptoms that were leaving him unable to do much. “I was tired all of the time, and I’d get very short of breath, even if I only walked a short distance,” he said.

Hall immediately sought guidance from his cardiologist, who recommended he speak with Ferdos Khan Pohlel, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Piedmont Heart of Athens.

“Mr. Hall was suffering from severe mitral regurgitation, a condition where the mitral valve doesn't close tightly and allows blood on the left side of the heart to flow backwards into your lungs,” Dr. Pohlel said. “Because of the severity of his symptoms, he needed treatment immediately.”

Based on James’ age and condition, Dr. Pohlel recommended that his team perform a transcatheter mitral valve repair procedure, which is a fairly new procedure that had not been done at Piedmont Athens Regional before.

“This procedure works by implanting a small metal clip into Mr. Hall’s mitral valve, which would allow blood to flow on both sides of the clip while reducing the flow of blood in the wrong direction.” Dr. Pohlel said. “

The only other treatment option for Hall would be open heart surgery to repair or replace his mitral valve; however, because of his age and medical history, this would be too risky. If left untreated, however, Hall would be at risk for several complications, such as heart failure, according to Dr. Pohlel.

Hall made the decision to move forward with the recommended procedure and visited Piedmont Athens Regional, where Dr. Pohlel and his team were able to successfully repair Hall’s mitral valve. He was able to return home the following day.

Since his procedure, Hall’s energy has significantly improved, and he’s been able to return to normal life. Recently, he even enjoyed a trip to Disney World in Orlando with his great-grandson.

Mitral valve regurgitation is a type of heart valve disease that becomes more common with age, according to the American Heart Association. Symptoms may vary, but can include low blood pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness and passing out.