Mitral Valve Repair Versus Replacement in Simultaneous Mitral and Aortic Valve Surgery for Rheumatic Disease

Potential advantages of preserving, rather than replacing, the native mitral valve, such as better cardiac survival or fewer thromboembolic complications, were not identified in combined mitral valve repair and aortic valve replacement compared with double valve replacement for patients with rheumatic disease. Indeed, combined mitral valve repair and aortic valve replacement was associated with a significantly higher incidence of mitral valve reoperation. Therefore, in double valve surgery for rheumatic disease, mitral valve repair should be limited to the correction of mitral valve lesions only when excellent durability can be expected.