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Mitral valve repair for mitral regugitation in the elderly: Yes, we have to, but look at the etiologies!
Author(s) -
Calafiore Antonio M.,
Di Marco Massimo,
Guarracini Stefano,
Katsavrias Kostas,
Di Mauro Michele
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/jocs.15507
Subject(s) - medicine , etiology , mitral regurgitation , mitral valve repair , mitral valve replacement , mitral valve , surgery , cardiology
The meta‐analysis by Di Tommaso et al. demonstrated as elderly patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) undergoing mitral valve repair had lower short‐term mortality and higher long‐term survival with respect to patients undergoing mitral valve replacement. The benefit of repair is such, that initial surgical strategy is advisable in the elderly even in case of mild symptoms if compared with conservative management. However, even if repair can be performed in presence of some specific etiologies, as degenerative MR or secondary MR, there are always cases where a replacement can be an acceptable solution compared to a repair with uncertain future, regardless of our believes and our technical ability.