Repair of infected mitral valves: what have we learned?

Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with high mortality and morbidity and requires surgical intervention in about half of all patients. Mitral valve repair (MVrep) is reported to achieve better results than mitral valve replacement because the insertion of a prosthesis during active infection is avoided. However, MVrep in active IE is complicated and no definitive guidelines have been compiled. The current study reviews the literature from 2000 to 2016 and summarizes the surgical details of MVrep for IE.