Background Left ventricular (LV) end‐systolic enlargement in severe degenerative mitral‐regurgitation (MR) is a class I surgical trigger. Whether it occurs disproportionately to less‐than‐severe MR due to mitral valve prolapse and is associated with mortality are unknown. We aimed to analyze prevalence and association with survival of disproportionate LV enlargement in less‐than‐severe MR. Methods A multicenter cohort international study enrolled 2848 consecutive patients (52% women, 69±16 years) with degenerative MR prospectively quantified and graded mild or moderate. Primary end point was survival under medical management. Secondary outcome was survival throughout follow‐up stratified by performance of early mitral surgery within 3 months postdiagnosis. Results Among LV remodeling parameters (abnormal end‐diastolic diameter, LV end‐systolic diameter [LVESD] absolute and indexed), LVESD ≥40 mm (present in 12.4%) was the sole independent associate of reduced survival (5‐year 70±3 versus 76±9%; P =0.009). LVESD ≥40 mm was independently linked to larger body surface area, effective regurgitant orifice, and left atrium, and to male sex and diabetes. With multivariable comprehensive adjustment, LVESD ≥40 mm (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.25 [95% CI, 1.005–1.53]; P =0.04) remained associated with excess mortality under medical management, even after adjustment for lowered ejection fraction (aHR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.13–1.95]; P =0.004) and in all patient subsets. Among patients with moderate degenerative MR and LVESD ≥40 mm, 22% underwent mitral surgery within 3 months, which was associated with superior survival, even after comprehensive adjustment (aHR, 0.11 [95% CI, 0.005–0.51]; P =0.002). Conclusions Disproportionate LV enlargement in patients with less‐than‐severe degenerative MR is common, particularly with larger bodies, regurgitation, and overall cardiac remodeling. LVESD ≥40 mm is associated with worse survival independent of all baseline characteristics, even lowered ejection fraction, and represents a marker for risk stratification of patients who are generally not yet considered for medical or surgical/interventional treatment.
Prognostic Implications of Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation in Asymptomatic Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation
Abstract Aims Functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) associated with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) accentuates the severity of heart failure and is a marker of poor prognosis. Little is known about FTR associated with asymptomatic DMR. Methods and results The study included 1249 asymptomatic patients with moderate or severe DMR from the Mitral Regurgitation International Database-Quantitative (MIDA-Q) registry (mean age 64 ± 15 years, 25% female). Despite the asymptomatic status, absent/trivial FTR was noted in only 42%, mild in 34.5%, moderate in 11%, and severe FTR in 12.5%. Patients with higher FTR grades were older and more often female and had higher EuroScore II, larger left atrial volumes, and more atrial fibrillation (all P < 0.05). Patients with moderate or severe FTR had comparable 5-year survival (64 ± 4% and 65 ± 4%) and lower than patients with no/trivial FTR(96 ± 1%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for key prognostic factors, including age, left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction, DMR severity, left atrial dilatation, and pulmonary hypertension, ≥moderate FTR remained a strong predictor of mortality (HR = 2.08 [1.17–3.72], P = 0.013). Sensitivity analysis showed stable impact of ≥moderate FTR among patients with/without pulmonary hypertension, in women and men and for any other subset. For patients who underwent mitral valve surgery, post-operative survival rates were similar between those with no/trivial FTR and those with ≥moderate or severe FTR (P = 0.76), suggesting that surgery could reduce the excess mortality related to preoperative FTR. Conclusions Among asymptomatic patients with significant DMR, ≥moderate FTR is frequent and independently associated with higher mortality, independently of traditional guideline-based risk factors. These findings suggest that ≥moderate FTR should lead to consideration of early mitral surgery to improve outcomes.
Prognostic Implications of Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Severe Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation
Background The prevalence and impact of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) is unknown. We aimed to determine whether RVD assessed by echocardiography in routine clinical practice is independently associated with mortality in patients with DMR. Methods and Results We used data from the MIDA‐Q (Mitral Regurgitation International DAtabase‐Quantitative) registry, which included patients with isolated DMR due to mitral valve prolapse from January 2003 to January 2020 from 5 tertiary centers across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. A cohort of 2917 (mean age: 66 years, 70.8% male patients, follow‐up: 5.2 [3.3–8.3] years) consecutive patients with severe DMR was included and long‐term mortality was analyzed. RVD, identified in 426 (14.6%) patients, was associated with reduced 8‐year survival (55%±3% versus 77%±1%; P <0.001), overall and in all subgroups of patients, even after comprehensive adjustment including left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction, DMR severity, pulmonary pressures, and surgery (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.17–1.77]; P <0.001). This excess mortality was observed under medical management (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.57 [95% CI, 1.20–2.05]; P =0.001) and after surgical correction of mitral regurgitation (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.02–2.05]; P =0.039). Patients with RVD undergoing surgery within 3 months of diagnosis experienced a better 8‐year survival (73%±4% versus 43%±4%; P <0.001), even after adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.29–0.67]; P <0.001) despite an increase of 1‐month postoperative mortality (7.1% versus 0.5% for patients without RVD; P <0.001). Conclusions RVD is observed in 14.6% of severe DMR and exhibits a powerful and independent association with excess mortality partially attenuated by mitral surgery. Therefore, assessment of right ventricular systolic function should be included in routine DMR evaluation and in the clinical decision‐making process.
Survival loss linked to guideline-based indications for degenerative mitral regurgitation surgery
Abstract Aims Operating on patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) is based on ACC/AHA or ESC/EACTS guidelines. Doubts persist on best surgical indications and their potential association with postoperative survival loss. We sought to investigate whether guideline-based indications lead to late postoperative survival loss in DMR patients. Methods and results We analysed outcome of 2833 patients from the Mitral Regurgitation International Database registry undergoing surgical correction of DMR. Patients were stratified by surgical indications: Class I trigger (symptoms, left ventricular end-systolic diameter ≥ 40 mm, or left ventricular ejection fraction < 60%, n = 1677), isolated Class IIa trigger [atrial fibrillation (AF), pulmonary hypertension (PH), or left atrial diameter ≥ 55 mm, n = 568], or no trigger (n = 588). Postoperative survival was compared after matching for clinical differences. Restricted mean survival time (RMST) was analysed. During a median 8.5-year follow-up, 603 deaths occurred. Long-term postoperative survival was lower with Class I trigger than in Class IIa trigger and no trigger (71.4 ± 1.9, 84.3 ± 2.3, and 88.9 ± 1.9% at 10 years, P < 0.001). Having at least one Class I criterion led to excess mortality (P < 0.001), while several Class I criteria conferred additional death risk [hazard ratio (HR): 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.42–1.66]. Isolated Class IIa triggers conferred an excess mortality risk vs. those without (HR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.00–2.13, P = 0.05). Among these patients, isolated PH led to decreased postoperative survival vs. those without (83.7 ± 2.8% vs. 89.3 ± 1.6%, P = 0.011), with the same pattern observed for AF (81.8 ± 5.0% vs. 88.3 ± 1.5%, P = 0.023). According to RMST analysis, compare to those operated on without triggers, operating on Class I trigger patients led to 9.4-month survival loss (P < 0.001) and operating on isolated Class IIa trigger patients displayed 4.9-month survival loss (P = 0.001) after 10 years. Conclusion Waiting for the onset of Class I or isolated Class IIa triggers before operating on DMR patients is associated with postoperative survival loss. These data encourage an early surgical strategy.
Response by Essayagh et al to Letter Regarding Article, “The MIDA-Q Mortality Risk Score: A Quantitative Prognostic Tool for the Mitral Valve Prolapse Spectrum”
Abstract Aims Indications for surgery in patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) are increasingly liberal in all clinical guidelines but the role of secondary outcome determinants (left atrial volume index ≥60 mL/m2, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary artery systolic pressure ≥50 mmHg and moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation) and their impact on post-operative outcome remain disputed. Whether these secondary outcome markers are just reflective of the DMR severity or intrinsically affect survival after DMR surgery is uncertain and may have critical importance in the management of patients with DMR. To address these gaps of knowledge the present study gathered a large cohort of patients with quantified DMR, accounted for the number of secondary outcome markers and examined their independent impact on survival after surgical correction of the DMR. Methods and results The Mitral Regurgitation International DAtabase-Quantitative registry includes patients with isolated DMR from centres across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Patient enrolment extended from January 2003 to January 2020. All patients undergoing mitral valve surgery within 1 year of registry enrolment were selected. A total of 2276 patients [65 (55–73) years, 32% male] across five centres met study eligibility criteria. Over a median follow-up of 5.6 (3.6 to 8.7) years, 278 patients (12.2%) died. In a comprehensive multivariable Cox regression model adjusted for age, EuroSCORE II, symptoms, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LV ESD) and DMR severity, the number of secondary outcome determinants was independently associated with post-operative all-cause mortality, with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.56 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–2.20, P = 0.011], 1.78 (95% CI: 1.23–2.58, P = 0.002) and 2.58 (95% CI: 1.73–3.83, P < 0.0001) for patients with one, two, and three or four secondary outcome determinants, respectively. A model incorporating the number of secondary outcome determinants demonstrated a higher C-index and was significantly more concordant with post-operative mortality than models incorporating traditional Class I indications alone [the presence of symptoms (P = 0.0003), or LVEF ≤60% (P = 0.006), or LV ESD ≥40 mm (P = 0.014)], while there was no significant difference in concordance observed compared with a model that incorporated the number of Class I indications for surgery combined (P = 0.71). Conclusion In this large cohort of patients treated surgically for DMR, the presence and number of secondary outcome determinants was independently associated with post-surgical survival and demonstrated better outcome discrimination than traditional Class I indications for surgery. Randomised controlled trials are needed to determine if patients with severe DMR who demonstrate a cardiac phenotype with an increasing number of secondary outcome determinants would benefit from earlier surgery.
The MIDA-Q Mortality Risk Score: A Quantitative Prognostic Tool for the Mitral Valve Prolapse Spectrum
Background: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is responsible for a considerable disease burden but is widely heterogeneous. The lack of a comprehensive prognostic instrument covering the entire MVP spectrum, encompassing the quantified consequent degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR), hinders clinical management and therapeutic trials. Methods: The new Mitral Regurgitation International Database Quantitative (MIDA-Q) registry enrolled 8187 consecutive patients (ages 63±16 years, 47% women, follow-up 5.5±3.3 years) first diagnosed with isolated MVP, without or with DMR quantified prospectively (measuring effective regurgitant orifice [ERO] and regurgitant volume) in routine practice of 5 tertiary care centers from North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The MIDA-Q score ranges from 0 to 15 by accumulating guideline-based risk factors and DMR severity. Long-term survival under medical management was the primary outcome end point. Results: MVP was associated with DMR absent/mild (ERO <20 mm 2 ) in 50%, moderate (ERO 20–40 mm 2 ) in 25%, and severe or higher (ERO ≥40 mm 2 ) in 25%, with mean ERO 24±24 mm 2 , regurgitant volume 37±35 mL. Median MIDA-Q score was 4 with a wide distribution (10%–90% range, 0–9). MIDA-Q score was higher in patients with EuroScore II ≥1% versus <1% (median, 7 versus 3; P < 0.0001) but with wide overlap (10%–90% range, 4–11 versus 0–7) and mediocre correlation ( R 2 0.18). Five-year survival under medical management was strongly associated with MIDA-Q score, 97±1% with score 0, 95±1% with score 1 to 2, 82±1% with score 3 to 4, 67±1% with score 5 to 6, 60±1% with score 7 to 8, 44±1% with score 9 to 10, 35±1% with score 11 to 12, and 5±4% with MIDA-Q score ≥13, with hazard ratio 1.31 [1.29–1.33] per 1-point increment. Excess mortality with higher MIDA-Q scores persisted after adjustment for age, sex, and EuroScore II (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.13 [1.11–1.15] per 1-point increment). Subgroup analysis showed persistent association of MIDA-Q score with mortality in all possible subsets, in particular, with EuroScore II<1% (hazard ratio, 1.08 [1.02–1.14]) or ≥1% (hazard ratio, 1.11 [1.08–1.13]) and with no/mild DMR (hazard ratio, 1.14 [1.10–1.19]) or moderate/severe DMR (hazard ratio, 1.13 [1.10–1.16], all per 1-point increment with P <0.0001). Nested-model and bootstrapping analyses demonstrated incremental prognostic power of MIDA-Q score (all P <0.0001). Conclusions: This large, international cohort of isolated MVP, with prospective DMR quantification in routine practice, demonstrates the wide range of risk factor accumulation and considerable heterogeneity of outcomes after MVP diagnosis. The MIDA-Q score is strongly, independently, and incrementally associated with long-term survival after MVP diagnosis, irrespective of presentation, and is therefore a crucial prognostic instrument for risk stratification, clinical trials, and management of patients diagnosed with all forms of MVP.
The MIDA quantitative mortality risk score: prognostic model in floppy mitral valves
Abstract Background The Mitral Regurgitation International Database (MIDA) score is a validated tool for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation (DMR) management, being able to position a given patient within a continuous spectrum of short and long term mortality. However, whether this score may be applicable and incremental in the entire span of Floppy Mitral Valves (FMV), regardless of DMR severity, remains unsubstantiated. Methods The MIDA-Quantitative (MIDA-Q) unprecedented registries include 8187 consecutive patients (age 64±17 years, 45% women, follow-up 5.5±3.4 years) with isolated degenerative mitral valve disease diagnosed at tertiary (European/ North-American/ Middle Eastern) centers in whom DMR severity used both integrative and quantitative grading. The MIDA-Q Score ranged from 0 to 15 depending on accumulating risk factors. Long-term survival overall, under medical management and post-mitral surgery was analysed. Results By quantitative grading, MR was no/trivial in 1938 (24%), mild in 1423 (17%), moderate in 2027 (25%) and severe in 2799 (34%), with ERO 0.24±24cm2, RVol 37±35mL, and posterior leaflet prolapse in 49%. MIDA-Q Scores stratified in 8 categories were 0 (score 0, n=851), 1 (score 1–2, n=1301), 2 (score 3–4, n=2043), 3 (score 5–6, n=1581), 4 (score 7–8, n=1273), 5 (score 9–10, n=718), 6 (score 11–12, n=331) and 7 (score 13–15, n=89). In the whole MIDA-Q population (n=8187 patients), 5-year survival under medical management with Scores categories 0–1, 2–4, and 5–7 was 96±1%, 73±1%, and 61±3% respectively (P<0.0001). Five-year mortality ranged from 3% with MIDA Q-score 0 to 95% with MIDA Q-score 13–15 (P<0.0001). After mitral surgery, 1-year mortality with Scores categories 0–1, 2–4, and 5–7 was 0%, 1%, and 6% respectively and 5-year post-operative survival was 99±1%, 94±1%, and 82±2% (all P<0.0001). In models including age, sex and all guideline-provided prognostic markers, the EuroScoreII and the MIDA Score without DMR severity, the MIDA-Q Score provided incremental prognostic information (P<0.001). Conclusion This unheard international cohort of patients with FMV and prospective mitral severity quantitative grading, enables for the first time the calculation of a MIDA-Q Score, highly determinant of survival after diagnosis of FMV with any degree of DMR, that may be very useful for mitral valve prolapse management. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Mayo Fundation Figure 1
Atrial coupling index by standard echocardiography in degenerative mitral regurgitation: incremental determinant of survival
Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): Mayo Clinic Foundation Background Left atrial (LA) volume is linked to outcome in degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) but does not encompass LA function assessment. Thus, we ought to determine the prognostic role of left atrial coupling-index (LACI), as left atrial volume-index (LAVI) by Tissue-Doppler-Imaging a’ (TDI-a’), in a large cohort of DMR. Methods All consecutive 4792 patients (61 ± 16 years, 48% women) with isolated degenerative mitral valve disease diagnosed at Mayo Clinic 2003-2011, comprehensively characterized, in whom LAVI and TDI-a’ in sinus rhythm was prospectively measured in routine practice, was enrolled and their long-term survival analyzed. Results LACI (5.8 ± 3.7–T1 < 3.8; T2 3.8-6.3; T3 > 6.3) was significantly higher through different DMR grades (no, mild, moderate, severe DMR: 3.77 ± 2.26, 5.08 ± 2.95, 6.54 ± 3.74 and 7.84 ±4.29 respectively; p < 0.0001). Independent determinants of LA dysfunction assessed by LACI were age, E/e’, left-ventricle (LV) end-systolic-diameter, mitral-regurgitation (MR) grade, and LV ejection-fraction (all P ≤ 0.0001). LACI > 6 was independently associated with dyspnea, edema, more severe functional tricuspid-regurgitation and elevated pulmonary artery pressure, irrespective of age, sex, Charlson-comorbidity-index, ventricular function and MR severity. Total follow-up was 7.03 ± 3.0 years, during which 1146 (24%) underwent mitral-valve surgery (94% repair-6% replacement) and 880 (18%) died, 780 under medical treatment and 100 after surgery. Overall survival throughout follow-up (10-year 76 ± 1%) was strongly associated with LACI (88 ± 1% vs. 78 ± 1% and 62 ± 2% for LACI <3.8, 3.8-6.3 and ≥6.3, P < 0.0001) even adjusting comprehensively, including for DMR severity (adjusted-hazard-ratio 1.23[1.07-1.43] for LACI > 5.79, P = 0.005). Mortality under medical management was profoundly affected by LACI (adjusted-hazard-ratio 1.11[1.05-1.18] per 3 unit increment; 1.35[1.15-1.58] for LACI > 5.79 vs. ≤5.79, both P = 0.0002). Survival improved after mitral surgery (time-dependent adjusted-hazard-ratio 0.40[0.28-0.65], P < 0.0001) but remained humbly linked to LACI (10-year 93 ± 3% vs. 90 ± 2% and 80 ± 3% for LACI tertiles, P = 0.0008). Most importantly, LACI provided incremental prognostic information over LAVI and other conventional determinants of survival (P < 0.0001) with Net-reclassification-improvement vs. LAVI of 0.21 ± 0.02, P < 0.0001. Conclusion LA function assessed by LACI in routine practice, by conventional echocardiographic measurements, displays incremental and independent link to excess-mortality, considerable under medical management and partially alleviated by mitral surgery. Thus, LACI is a simple tool of crucial interest in DMR risk-stratification. Abstract Figure. LACI in DMR
The mitral annulus disjunction of mitral valve prolapse: presentation and outcome
Abstract Background Mitral-annulus-disjunction (MAD), often described in mitral-valve-prolapse (MVP) patients, remains incompletely defined and its clinical outcome consequences are unknown. Objectives To assess MAD prevalence, clinical and echocardiographic characteristics, and independent impact on outcome in patients with isolated-MVP. Methods A cohort of 595 (65±16 years, 278 female) consecutive patients with MVP and comprehensive clinical, rhythmic and Doppler-echocardiographic characterization, was identified. Primary-endpoint was overall-survival, or occurrence of ventricular-arrhythmia. To eliminate clinical differences, we matched MAD-patients 1:1 with no-MAD based on propensity score for overall survival analysis using a greedy 5-to-1 digit-matching algorithm. Results MAD was frequent, present in 186 (31%) of MVP-patients and independently associated to bileaflet-MVP, leaflet-redundancy, younger-age, female-sex, enlarged left-ventricle-endsystolic-diameter and higher left-ventricle-ejection-fraction (all P≤0.04). Outcome primary-endpoint of survival after MVP diagnosis in matched-cohort (10-year 95±1%) was not associated with MAD presence (10-year 93±2% for no-MAD and 97±1% for MAD, P=0.4). Mortality was comparable for MAD (univariate-hazard-ratio 0.64 [0.25–1.65], P=0.4 vs. no-MAD), even adjusted-comprehensively including for MVP-characteristics (adjusted-hazard-ratio 1.17 [0.39–3.50], P=0.8). However, 220 (51%) MVP-patients were diagnosed ventricular-arrhythmia (161 with ventricular-tachycardia only) and long-term, MAD was associated with lower arrhythmia- and ventricular-tachycardia- overall freedom (adjusted-hazard-ratio for MAD 2.35 [1.75–3.15], P<0.0001 vs. no-MAD and 2.71 [1.93–3.82], P<0.0001 respectively). Hence, 10-year freedom of significant ventricular-arrhythmia in overall-cohort was severely reduced with MAD (41±4% vs. 62±3% for no-MAD). Conclusion In this unique MVP cohort, with arrhythmia and MAD comprehensively-characterized, MAD presence was frequent and independently associated to bileaflet-MVP and leaflet-redundancy. Long-term, MAD compared to no-MAD is not independently associated with higher-mortality but to reduced arrhythmia-freedom occurrence. Survival overall and by V arrhythmia Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Mayo Foundation