ANY DEGREE OF MITRAL REGURGITATION FOUND DURING INVASIVE VENTRICULOGRAPHY IS ASSOCIATED WITH ALL CAUSE MORTALITY


Mohammad R. Movahed, M.D., PhD., Arizona, USA

Background: Using a large data base of patients who underwent coronary angiography for clinical reason, we evaluated association between reported degree of mitral regurgitation (MR) with all-cause mortality.

Method: Using retrospective angiographic data of 1661 patients between 1993 to 1997 from the VA Long Beach Health Care System with documented ventriculography, we evaluated any association between reported degree of MR and all-cause mortality. We performed uni- and multi variant analysis adjusting for age and ejection fraction.

Results: Any degree of MR was associated with all-cause mortality. Total mortality was 10.1 % (132/1301) in patients with no MR vs. 17.8% in patients with mild MR (64/360), p<0,001. Similar to mild MR, any degree of MR was independently associated with all-cause mortality.

Conclusion: The presence of any MR documented on invasive ventriculography is associated with increased total mortality independent of age or ejection fraction. Our finding suggests that even mild MR has negative prognostic significant.