Concomitant mitral valve repair or replacement and coronary revascularization

Patients undergoing combined mitral valve replacement and coronary revascularization require surgical skill and especially judgment for optimal results. In our hands, cardioplegia has not been a pivotal event in affecting survival, and this probably relates to our previous philosophy of limiting the hypothermic ischemic episodes to 15-minute intervals. Currently, we believe that valve repair, when it can be accomplished, is preferable to valve replacement, especially in the patient with ischemic mitral valve disease. When repair cannot be satisfactorily accomplished, replacement with retention of the posterior leaflet seems clinically to be associated with less disturbance of left ventricular function.