Mitral Valve Repair Outcomes in a Community Hospital: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: The results of mitral valve repair operations conducted at community hospitals in rural states are not well studied or reported in the literature.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed consecutive patients who underwent isolated mitral valve repair operations performed by a single experienced cardiothoracic surgeon at a large community hospital from May 1, 2006 - April 30, 2010. Patients were monitored for up to three years (average 2.2 years) following surgery for a variety of surgical variables, including morbidity, mortality, and serial two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic findings. Comparisons were made with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD).

Results: Sixty-three consecutive patients underwent isolated complex mitral repair operations. Echocardiographic and morbidity data demonstrated successful outcomes, with no operative mortality and a single cardiac-related death within three years postoperatively. Other variables, especially those that relate to post-repair outcomes, showed no significant differences between our patients and comparison data from the ASCD.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates equivalent risks and outcomes for complex mitral valve repair performed in a community hospital setting as those found in a national database. The appropriate institutional setting for performing highly complex procedures has substantial implications for health policy, especially regarding access and quality issues.