Mitral valve repair for bacterial endocarditis.

Twenty-two patients with mitral insufficiency resulting from native valve endocarditis underwent mitral valve repair. Six patients had acute endocarditis with positive blood cultures and active valve infection. Sixteen patients were cured of active infection, but mitral insufficiency developed as a result of prior infection. Mean age was 48.5 +/- 21.7 years; 13 (59%) were male. Mean New York Heart Association functional class was 2.6 +/- 1.2. Multiple valve lesions were present in 11 (50%) patients. Valve abnormalities included leaflet perforation in 13 patients, chordal rupture or elongation in 14, vegetations in 5; and annular abscess in 1. In patients with acute endocarditis all macroscopically infected tissue was excised. Multiple techniques were required to achieve valve competence. Suture or patch closure of perforation was done in 14 patients, chordal shortening or transfer in 9, leaflet resection and closure in 4, leaflet resection with pericardial patching in 5, and annuloplasty in 15. Mitral valvuloplasty was combined with other procedures in 11 (50%) patients. There were two (9%) hospital deaths, both occurring in patients with healed endocarditis. There was one (9%) death in a patient undergoing an isolated procedure and one (9%) in a patient undergoing a combined procedure. Mean follow-up was 24 +/- 16.8 months and was complete. Seventeen (85%) were in New York Heart Association functional class I, and three (15%) were in class II. There were no late deaths, reoperations, recurrent endocarditis, thromboembolic events, or other valve-related morbidity. We conclude that mitral valve repair for insufficiency resulting from bacterial endocarditis (1) is possible in acute and healed disease, (2) has a low operative mortality, and (3) has resulted in patients free of recurrent infection and valve-related morbidity and mortality. Mitral valve repair is an attractive alternate to valve replacement in bacterial endocarditis.