Title : Left ventricular rupture following mitral valve replacement
Abstract:
Left Ventricular (LV) Rupture after Mitral Valve Replacement is a serious complication and carries a very high mortality. Fortunately it is not common but nevertheless it can happen without any warning and catch the surgeon off guard. Various manoeuvres are available to prevent this dreadful complication, but despite all measures it still sadly continues to happen. Prevention is the best option here and it is pertinent that all the precautions are strictly followed to ensure that this complication is avoided at all costs. There are several important factors which are responsible for this horrible complication and it helps if those factors are meticulously avoided during the operation. It is very important that trying to control the bleeding of LV rupture on a beating heart is a recipe for further disaster and results in a situation which is unredeemable. I would like to discuss the measures available to the cardiac surgeon to first avoid this complication and also the proven methods to deal with it intraoperatively. It is important that everyone understands the seriousness of this fatal complication and ensure that all the necessary steps are followed to prevent its occurrence.
