Clinical Implications of Preserving Subvalvular Apparatus During Mitral Valve Replacement for Acute Ischemic Papillary Muscle Rupture

We report the case of a patient who presented with sequential rupture of two papillary muscle bellies after emergent mitral valve replacement with subvalvular apparatus preservation for acute severe mitral regurgitation and cardiogenic shock during acute myocardial infarction. We discuss the possibility that the remaining chordae may have meanwhile contributed to muscle avulsion by exerting traction on ischemic myocardium and prevented embolization of the secondarily detached papillary muscle heads.