Concomitant Left Atrial Reduction in Rheumatic Mitral Valve Disease with Giant Left Atrium

OBJECTIVE: The giant left atrium is a frequent finding with rheumatic heart disease. The enlarged left atrium was found to be a risk factor for early mortality and postoperative higher thromboembolic events, but its management remains controversial. Most of the surgeons just do the mitral valve procedure without any intervention for enlarged left atrium. We present our center's experience of patients with giant left atrium who underwent a newer technique of left atrium reduction concomitant with mitral valve procedure. METHODS: Between January 2012 and February 2015, 25 patients, who underwent surgery for concomitant left atrium reduction with mitral valve disease, were included in the study after institute's ethics committee clearance. Patients having combined aortic and mitral valve disease were excluded. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected. All the patients were also followed up clinically and echocardiographically in postoperative period. RESULTS: There were 15 (60%) females. The mean ± SD age of the patients was 36.92 ± 5.4 years. Preoperatively, all patients were in long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation. The mean ± SD bypass and aortic cross-clamp time were 74.56 ± 3.85 and 51.72 ± 4.32 minutes, respectively. There was a significant reduction of left atrium diameter and volume from 94.48 ± 11.0 mm to 40.08 ± 1.35 mm and 348.3 ± 121.1 to 26.57 ± 2.9 mL/m, respectively. There was no early or late mortality. At a mean ± SD follow-up of 42.28 ± 12.1 months, all patients were in New York Heart Association I or II class and 24 (96%) patients were in normal sinus rhythm. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent left atrium reduction with mitral valve procedure is a feasible and effective technique for event-free survival of the patients having giant left atrium with mitral disease.