While there is no question that heart valve repair and replacement is moving toward minimally invasive techniques and devices, there is a big difference between a minimally invasive surgical approach and a truly percutaneous, incisionless procedure. The challenges of reaching the latter goal are substantial, but apparently not insurmountable., In fact, recent progress in this field provides hope that in the not too distant future, percutaneous valve replacement and repair will become an accepted part of the treatment armamentarium, greatly expanding the number of patients who can be offered these potentially life-saving procedures.

Over the last few years, interventional heart valve technologies have been among the most popular segments of the cardiovascular device market with venture investors. This popularity has resulted in some VCs concluding that the space has become saturated. While the market may be getting tougher to enter for newcomers, the successful financing rounds recently closed by Evalve and Mitralign show that investors--including new device investors--remain bullish on companies that can demonstrate an effective percutaneous alternative to existing surgical procedures.

Full-scale commercialization of percutaneous heart valve technology is still years away, but Evalve's new approach to mitral repair is closest to the clinic.