Valvular & structural heart disease
Artificial chords in endoscopic mitral valve repair: a comparative analysis of surgical techniques and long-term outcomes
- Single-centre analysis of perioperative data and long-term outcomes of consecutive patients
- competing risk analysis
- reported according to the Mitral Valve Research Consortium criteria
+2 more
- competing risk analysis
- reported according to the Mitral Valve Research Consortium criteria
Authors' conclusion
Both single artificial chords and premeasured loops provided excellent perioperative and long-term outcomes in MIMVR. The loop technique facilitated shorter operative times and greater chordal implantation efficiency without compromising long-term repair durability or event-free survival.
Study context
- Population
- Patients who underwent minimally invasive mitral valve repair (MIMVR) at the University Hospital Innsbruck, Austria, 2001–2023consecutive patients who underwent MIMVR, 581 received artificial chords · single chords 151 · premeasured loops 430
- Participants
- 1,186 patients
- Comparison
- single artificial chords versus premeasured loops
- loop groupn = 430
- single expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) chord groupn = 151reference
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Survival · 1, 5 and 10 years (median follow-up 5.0 (4.45-5.53) years)
Survival at 1 year
98.4%
Survival at 5 years
95.4%
Survival at 10 years
92.7%
Further findings
| Outcome | loop group | single ePTFE chord group | Estimate | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative incidence of death or reoperation · 15 years · competing risk analysis | 8.5% | 11.0% | hazard ratio 0.95 (95% CI 0.44–2.06) | P = 0.90 | |
| Independent predictors of long-term success · only independent predictor | HR 0.11 (CI 0.014–0.839) | P = 0.033 | |||
| 0.050.21520Ratio (log scale) |
Cross-clamp time · shorter with loop technique
P < 0.001
| Outcome | loop group | single ePTFE chord group | Estimate | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of implanted chords · more with loop technique | 5.0 | 2.0 | P < 0.001 | |
| Event-free survival · 10 years · no significant difference | 92% (range 87–97%) | 93% (range 89–97%) | P = 0.5 |
Independent predictors of long-term success
- Choice of technique did not influence long-term outcomes
Original publication
Artificial chords in endoscopic mitral valve repair: a comparative analysis of surgical techniques and long-term outcomes. Heart. Published 20 April 2026. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2026-327812
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it