Not only does the device reduce time spent on the operating table, but it could eventually see patients heading home from hospital the day after a heart operation.

Degenerative mitral regurgitation is a common heart valve disorder that affects around eight million people in the US alone. It is caused by a leaky heart valve, in which the small cords that control the valve's flaps are broken or stretched and cause blood to flow in the wrong direction. To repair the valve, invasive open-heart surgery is carried out to replace the small cords in a procedure that requires surgical skill and experience.

The Harpoon TSD-5 device built by Harpoon Medical of Baltimore is based on technology developed by the University of Maryland Medical Center and makes the job easier for surgeons and safer and less intrusive for patients.