AUSTIN (KXAN) – At 75 years old, Lorraine Cook has lived through two heart attacks and a major open-heart surgery. Now retired, she says her latest experience with an innovative, non-surgical procedure has given her new life.

In March, Cook became one of the first patients in the Austin area to undergo the transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) procedure at Baylor Scott & White in Round Rock. The treatment is designed for people with tricuspid regurgitation, a condition that occurs when the valve between the two right chambers of the heart doesn’t close properly, causing blood to leak backward.

Unlike open-heart surgery, this procedure uses a tiny incision in the groin to deliver a device that clips the valve tight and restores blood flow. The FDA approved the therapy earlier t

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