Should Mitral Regurgitation Be Corrected at Earlier Stages

Mitral regurgitation imposes a volume load on the left ventricle that eventually results in left ventricular dysfunction. However, the effects of afterload reduction on commonly-used indexes of systolic function may mask this dysfunction. This Mayo Clinic study examined 10 years of surgical correction of mitral regurgitation, assessing postoperative left ventricular function and survival as well as the ability …