Mitral valve repair for ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Our aim was to evaluate midterm results in patients who underwent mitral valve repair (MVR) for ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) in our most recent experience. From March 2006 to March 2008, 105 patients underwent MVR for IMR. Mean IMR grade was 2.6 +/- 1.1, with 46 patients having <or=2/4 and 59 >or=3/4. Five patients (4.8%) died within first month; Two-year freedom from death any cause was 85.5% +/- 3.8, freedom from cardiac death was 88.7% +/- 3.4. NYHA Class of the survivors was 1.3 +/- 0.6, with 3 patients in NYHA Class III. Freedom from death any cause and NYHA Class III-IV was 78.6% +/- 4.6. IMR grade decreased from 2.6 +/- 1.1 to 0.1 +/- 0.3 at the discharge and to 0.5 +/- 0.3 after a mean of 7 +/- 4 months, with no patient with IMR grade 3/4 or 4/4. MVR for IMR should be performed in patients with moderate-or-more IMR grade or when the MV is excessively dilated, to achieve good midterm results.