Global study offers new insight on heart valve surgery

By Celine Zadorsky, Special to Western News. Researchers at Western and Lawson Health Research Institute played a leading role in a new global study that will change the way surgeons repair leaky valves in the heart. Leaky valve is one of the most common heart conditions, and it often does not present any symptoms. Many patients don't even realize they have a leaky valve, often presenting to doctors only when they are in the late stage of the disease. "If the leak in the mitral valve is not repaired, a patient will have problems with fluid retention, shortness of breath and heart failure," said Dr. Michael Chu, one of the lead investigators on the study. "That will then lead to complications requiring hospitalization and, eventually, an increased risk of death." There are two related valves in the heart that can potentially leak and lead to further complications: the mitral valve and the tricuspid valve. Traditionally, the mitral valve is surgically repaired first, with the belief that it will lead to improvements in the tricuspid valve. However, scientists have discovered that isn't always the case. "We were concerned that if we repair the mitral valve only, would the tricuspid valve still leak?" said Chu, who is also the chair of the cardiac surgery division at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.