Mitral valve repair may improve heart function when performed with bypass surgery

New research reported by the American Heart Association has looked at the benefits of mitral heart valve repair alongside bypass surgery. The mitral valve separates the heart’s left upper chamber (the atrium) from its left lower chamber (the ventricle). The valve has two flaps, and if they do not close properly, it will leak. In patients with severely leaking valves, the dual procedure of a valve repair and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is performed. However, the new research suggests that patients with only moderately leaking valves who have the dual surgery had more improved exercise capacity and heart functioning compared with those who only got CABG surgery. “Many patients who need bypass surgery have mild to moderately leaky mitral valves because coronary artery disease causes the heart to enlarge and, in the process, pulls the mitral valve apart,” K. M. John Chan, the lead author of the study, explained.