Patients with mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation, a condition generally known as “leaky heart valves,” are found doing much better after two years if they undergo a tricuspid valve repair during the mitral valve surgery. The findings of a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions showed patients who had the mitral valve surgery with the tricuspid annuloplasty were less likely to die or need a tricuspid valve reoperation during a two-year period after treatment, compared to those who had the mitral valve surgery alone. 

The study also found that the patients who underwent tricuspid valve repair along with mitral valve surgery also did not have their condition (tricuspid regurgitation) advancing to a severe stage. However, patients who had both procedures were more likely to need a permanent pacemaker, the researchers said in a report. 

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was supported by the  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.