RSS Feeds
Mitral Regurgitation and MI Mortality
- Olayinka F. Sogade, MD; and
- Ernesto A. Jonas, MD
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
Lehman and associates [1] raised the issue of poor prognosis and high mortality in patients with varying degrees of mitral regurgitation in the setting of myocardial infarction.
However, mitral regurgitation is mild in most such patients, and the prognosis appears to be related primarily to the degree of left ventricular dysfunction [1]. This is especially true of mitral regurgitation caused by mitral annular dilatation, which is at least as common in anterior wall infarcts as in posterior or inferior infarcts [2]. Thus, the mechanism is more important than the mere presence of mitral regurgitation, especially when mild.
Also, the attempt to group patients by severity of mitral regurgitation and related mortality is hampered by too small a sample size in the moderate-to-severe group. For example, one death among five patients translates to a mortality of 20% and a P value of less than 0.05 when measured at 10 days and at 1 year.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
