Mitral Valve Repair for Heart Disease

Mitral valve disease is by far the most common cardiac disease in dogs. One-third of dogs with mitral valve disease will have severe mitral valve regurgitation which means a leaky valve, leading to clinical signs and can result in congestive heart failure and fluid in the lungs. Most dogs with severe mitral valve regurgitation end up with palliative medical treatment.

The heart has four chambers, two atrium, two ventricles. The left ventricle is the main pumping chamber of the heart. When it ejects, the mitral valve prevents the backflow from the left ventricle into the left atrium. But when the mitral valve fails to work properly, there is regurgitation of blood into the left atrium. So, when the regurgitation is severe, the pressure and the volume in that left atrium get too high, resulting in congestive heart failure and some fluid builds into the lungs which is what we call pulmonary edema.