Pitfalls in surgical decision-making during mitral valve repair

Mitral valve repair has become the mainstay of surgical treatment for mitral valvular regurgitation. Surgeons in North America were relatively slow to adopt the various repair techniques, perhaps because rheumatic heart disease was less common, and the initial experiences with large numbers of repairs in Europe dealt largely with rheumatic disease. Subsequent experience, however, has clearly shown that patients with degenerative mitral valve disease can expect very durable repairs, and that most such patients have relatively simple pathologic conditions. The potential for repair, with a lack of need for long-term anticoagulation, has led to earlier surgical intervention. Still, mitral valve repair is far more complex than mitral valve replacement and must be accompanied by careful intraoperative decision making. Pitfalls exist that are different from those that accompany replacement. In this article, we examine some of the more common problems, their identification, and, hopefully, ways to avoid them.