Potts-Smith Curved 18cm — Mitral Valve Repair

Potts-Smith Curved 18cm — Mitral Valve Repair

The 18cm-labelled curved Potts-Smith dressing forceps serves mitral valve repair — the gold-standard surgical treatment for degenerative mitral regurgitation, performed via median sternotomy or right-anterior mini-thoracotomy. Mitral repair preserves the patient’s native valve through leaflet resection, chordal transfer, neochordae construction, and annuloplasty ring placement. The curved 18cm Potts-Smith handles the friable mitral-leaflet tissue at the angles the repair-technique manoeuvres require.

The mitral repair durability

Modern mitral repair at experienced centres produces 15-year durability above 90% — substantially better than mitral valve replacement (where bioprosthetic valves degenerate over 10-15 years and mechanical valves carry lifelong anticoagulation). The repair-versus-replace decision is heavily weighted toward repair when technically feasible. The curved Potts-Smith forceps’s gentle handling of the leaflet tissue is part of the technique-precision that makes durable repair achievable.

The Carpentier nomenclature

Alain Carpentier’s leaflet segmentation (A1-A2-A3, P1-P2-P3) defines modern mitral-repair planning. The 18cm curved Potts-Smith reaches each segment at the angle the segment presents from the median-sternotomy or mini-thoracotomy approach.