VA hospitals favor mitral valve repair vs. replacement

Little is known about mitral valve surgical outcomes within the largest US federal health system — the Veterans Administration Health System. New data presented from 40 VA cardiac surgery centers reveal that although MV repair rates increased from 48 percent in 2001 to 63 percent in 2013, a wide variability exists in repair rates among medical centers. This is especially important because MV repair mortality rates were significantly lower in patients with primary degenerative disease.