Mitral Regurgitation

With each contraction of the heart, blood should be pumped forward into the body; however, due to laxity or dysfunction of the valve between the chambers, a portion of the blood leaks backward into the chamber it came from (the left atrium), doubling the workload of the heart.

Age-related valve calcification, childhood Rheumatic Heart Disease (Acute Rheumatic Fever), rupture of the chordae tendineae supporting the valve, myocardial infarctions, and genetic valve laxity (Mitral Valve Prolapse) are the most common causes.

In mild regurgitation, no symptoms may be observed for years. As the leak increases, symptoms include cardiac arrhythmias (Atrial Fibrillation/palpitations), easy fatigability, shortness of breath when climbing stairs, coughing, and orthopnea (dyspnea when lying flat at night).

A 'murmur' (the sound of blood jetting backward) heard by a cardiologist while listening to the heart with a stethoscope raises suspicion. A definitive diagnosis and the exact millimetric volume of the regurgitation are determined via Echocardiography (ECHO - Heart Ultrasound).

There is no medication that can restore a damaged and deformed mechanical valve to its original state. Prescribed blood pressure and rhythm medications only alleviate symptoms temporarily by reducing the workload of the heart.

If the regurgitation has progressed to a 'severe' degree, causing the heart to dilate and fluid to accumulate in the lungs, surgery is mandatory. Through open or minimally invasive (axillary/robotic) methods, the valve is preserved and reconstructed (repaired) using the patient's own tissue, or completely removed and replaced with a biological/mechanical prosthetic valve.