Moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation: Is there a casefor early intervention?

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (imr) results from left ventricular remodelling after myocardial infarction and severely affects cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. ischemic mitral valve regurgitation also represents a negative prognostic factor for long-term survival in patients undergoing surgical myocardial revascularization. while severe mitral regurgitation should always be corrected during a coronary artery bypass operation, the decision making is more difficult in patients with a moderate degree of regurgitation. in this review, we wish to highlight the negative impact of imr on long-term survival and discuss the available evidence for surgical correction of imr at the time of coronary revascularization.