HEART SOUNDS THAT MATTER: MITRAL REGURGITATION IN FOCUS

Abstract

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a valvular heart disease with heterogeneous clinical presentations and may remain asymptomatic in its early stages. We report the case of a 57-year-old man with a history of dyslipidemia and psychiatric illness who attended a consultation of his Family Doctor for non-cardiac reasons. Although asymptomatic, a meso-systolic murmur was detected during physical examination, most prominently over the mitral area, with no prior documentation. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed mitral valve prolapse with ruptured chordae tendineae, resulting in severe MR, which led to urgent referral and subsequent mitral valve repair. After hospital discharge, the intervention of the family physician was crucial to ensure cardiology follow-up and appropriate therapeutic optimization. This case underscores the importance of physical examination and coordination across different levels of care in the early detection and ongoing management of potentially serious cardiac conditions, even in the absence of symptoms.