Delayed rupture of the left ventricle after mitral valve replacement: report of two survivors.

Two patients, a man and a woman, with rupture of the left ventricular wall after mitral valve replacement are described. The postoperative course of the woman was complicated by respiratory and renal insufficiency from which she recovered; however, she developed fungal endocarditis and died. Both patients are reported as survivors of "delayed" rupture to show that such patients are occasionally salvageable, and to suggest that bypass grafting to the circumflex system distal to the site of injury will benefit immediate and long-term survival.