Mitral regurgitation in patients with advanced systolic heart failure

Background Mitral regurgitation (MR) may develop in patients with advanced systolic congestive heart failure (CHF) without organic mitral valve disease and contribute to worsening symptoms and survival. Surgical mitral annuloplasty improves symptoms in patients with advanced CHF, and percutaneous approaches to mitral annuloplasty are being developed. Our objective was to define the prevalence, clinical correlates, and prognostic implications of functional MR and the use of mitral annuloplasty in patients with advanced systolic CHF evaluated in a heart failure clinic. Methods and results We reviewed clinical, echocardiographic, and survival data from all patients with advanced systolic CHF (New York Heart Association class III or IV; ejection fraction Conclusion Among patients with advanced CHF, hemodynamically significant MR is common. The severity of…