Mitral regurgitation during a myocardial infarction – New predictors and prognostic significance at two years of follow-up

AIMS: Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation (MR) has early prognostic impact in Myocardial Infarction (MI). Its medium-term importance, especially of mild MR, has not been established. PURPOSE: to determine new clinical/analytical predictors of MR in MI-patients and establish its prognostic value during two-year follow-up [endpoints: mortality, decompensated heart failure (dHF)]. METHODS AND RESULTS: 796 patients admitted for MI (age 68.8±13.4, 63.2% males, 44.6% STEMI). DATA: Admission analytical study, risk scores, coronariography, pre-discharge echocardiogram. Patients followed for two years. Clinical/analytical predictors of pre-discharge MR assessed. Predictive model for presence of pre-discharge MR included GRACE for intra-hospital mortality [IHM](OR=1.008, p<0.001), glomerular filtration rate (GFR)[OR=0.993, p=0.048], admission haemoglobin (OR=0.84, p=0.003). In univariate analysis, moderate-severe MR predicted 2-year mortality (OR=3.32, p<0.001), but not dHF. Two year mortality rate was proportional to severity of pre-discharge MR. Mild MR (vs. no MR) associated with higher risk for 2-year mortality (OR=2.04, p=0.014) and re-admission for dHF (OR=2.55, p=0.001). Predictive model for 2-year mortality included MR severity (OR=1.42, p=0.033) and GRACE for IHM (OR=1.023, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: GRACE score for IHM, GFR and admission haemoglobin independently predicted risk for pre-discharge MR. MR, including its milder form, was an independent predictor of 2-year mortality, adding prognostic power to GRACE score.