EARLY RESULTS OF MITRAL VALVE REPAIR WITH A NEW SEMIRIGID RING WITH REMOVABLE LOOPS FOR CHORDAL LENGHT ADJUSTMENT
Alfredo Giuseppe Cerilo, Francesca Petrini, Giulio Pellegrini, Anna Rita Manca, Anna Laganà, Paolo De Cillis, Lucio Braconi, and Pierluigi Stefano

Objective: The aim of this study is to report our early results of mitral valve repair using a new saddle-shape semirigid annuloplasty ring.
Methods: 43 consecutive patient undergoing mitral valve repair were enrolled. We considered in-hospital mortality, major complications, residual mitral regurgitation, procedural failure and postoperative mitral stenosis to define early results.
Results: In-hospital mortality was 2% (one patient was on ECMO at the admission with massive MR due to ischemic papillary muscle rupture). 3 patients (7%) developed major complications: 1 stroke and 2 pacemaker implantations for complete atrio-ventricular block. Early failure rate was 0% and patients has no significant postoperative mitral stenosis. Reduction in mitral regurgitation (<2+/4+) at discharge was observed in 41 patients (97.6%).
Conclusions: Our study demonstrated good preliminary results of mitral annuloplasty with the new annuloplasty ring, suggesting its safety and effectiveness. It seems to be suitable for treatment of a wide range of conditions and for different repair techniques, especially through a minimally invasive approach.
Further studies are needed to investigate long term results.