{"id":6013,"date":"2025-07-30T18:53:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T18:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=6013"},"modified":"2025-08-15T03:06:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T03:06:56","slug":"barlows-mitral-valve-timing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/barlows-mitral-valve-timing\/","title":{"rendered":"Barlow\u2019s Mitral Valve Surgery: When is the Right Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many people live their entire lifetime with mitral valve prolapse without any symptoms or need for an intervention. However, patients diagnosed with Barlow\u2019s mitral valve disease<\/a> often have a much different experience with this type of mitral valve prolapse because of its degenerative nature. Many patients live with Barlow\u2019s mitral valve from childhood with no symptoms or complications.<\/p>\n

Over time, though, the mitral valve leaflets can become thickened, the mitral annulus dilates, and the chordae tendineae, also known as \u201cheart strings,\u201d that connect the valve leaflets to the papillary muscle, start to stretch, increasing prolapse and the back-flow of blood into the left ventricle and right atrium. Eventually, some type of intervention is warranted to either repair or replace a weakened Barlow\u2019s mitral valve, even if patients do not exhibit any of the typical symptoms associated with mitral regurgitation, such as shortness of breath, dizziness, or rapid heartbeat. Understanding the timing and type of surgery is imperative to prevent complications like heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, stroke, and even sudden cardiac death.<\/p>\n

We just received a great patient question on this topic from Amy, who has a Barlow\u2019s valve. Amy asked, \u201cI\u2019m a 47-year-old female with known mitral valve prolapse from a Barlow\u2019s valve since I was a child. Regurgitation is now moderate to severe with multiple jets, and tricuspid regurgitation is mild to moderate. My atrium is mildly dilated. Should valves be repaired while heart function is still normal, and if so, what is the likelihood of getting both mitral and tricuspid valves repaired, not replaced?\u201d To answer Amy\u2019s question, we met with Dr. Marc Gerdisch<\/a>, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Gerdisch has successfully treated over 100 patients in the HeartValveSurgery.com community and is always a phenomenal resource for obtaining answers about complex forms of heart valve disease and surgery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n