Surgical treatment of ischaemic valve disease

Mitral valve regurgitation secondary to ischaemic heart disease carries a significant mortality even after open-heart surgery. In this study, 21 patients with mitral regurgitation associated with ischaemic heart disease were evaluated with respect to valvular pathology. Pathological examination of the mitral valve revealed chorda elongation or rupture in seven patients (group 1), papillary muscle dysfunction in 10 (group 2), and papillary muscle rupture in four (group 3). Significant preoperative characteristics in each group were subacute haemodynamic deterioration in group 1, chronic severe left ventricular failure in group 2, and a high incidence of acute renal failure associated with haemodynamic shock in group 3. Mitral valve plasty was performed in six patients and mitral valve replacement, using the St Jude Medical valve, in 15. Fourteen patients underwent mitral valve surgery combined with coronary artery bypass grafting. Mitral plasty was applied to the patients with low left ventricular function with mean(s.d.) fraction shortening of 19.2(6.2)% compared with 30.2(8.4)% in patients with mitral valve replacement. There were no operative deaths. Of four late deaths, two in group 1 resulted from infection and myocardial infarction, respectively and one in group 2 resulted from arrhythmia. One patient in group 3 died from renal failure. It is suggested that incorporation of these therapeutic concepts may lead to satisfactory results in the surgical treatment of ischaemic mitral regurgitation.