Increasing Disadvantage of “Watchful Waiting” for Repairing Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease

This insightful paper compares surgery for degenerative mitral valve disease over a number of different “eras.” Interestingly, the most recent data in what the authors term “era 3” (2005-2011) demonstrates that patients are being operated on at an earlier stage in their disease- with less symptoms than historic eras. The in-hospital mortality, however, in this group of patients is at its lowest-ever: 0.043%. Whilst there, of course, will have been other confounders over the time periods investigated the authors explain that this data may demonstrate that earlier intervention in patients with degenerative mitral valve disease may be beneficial.