Early surgery for flail mitral leaflet improves outcome

Early surgery for flail mitral leaflet improves outcomes as compared to conservative therapy. Among 221 with mitral regurgitation due to a flail leaflet who were eligible for surgery, 63 underwent early mitral valve surgery while 158 were treated medically. Compared to medical therapy, early surgery was associated with a higher overall survival (p = 0.028), lower cardiac mortality (p = 0.025), a lower incidence of atrial fibrillation (p = 0.032), and a lower incidence of heart failure (p = 0.046).