International - August 2013 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Aug. 8, 2013 — Patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation who are otherwise healthy should have mitral valve repair surgery sooner rather than later, even if they feel no symptoms, a Mayo Clinic-led study by U.S. and European researchers found. The results challenge the long-held belief that it is safer to "watch and wait" until a patient has symptoms, such as shortness of breath. This is the largest study to show that patients who undergo surgery early after diagnosis have improved long-term survival and lower risk of heart failure. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Drs. Rakesh Suri and Maurice Enriquez-Sarano will be available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.