What would happen if the chordae tendonae snapped?

Answer 1

Mitrial regurgitation (blood flowing backwards through the mitrial valve) with a sudden onset (starting suddenly). This would cause blood to be forced backwards through the left atrium and into the lungs at high pressure, which is bad. The high-pressure blood flow through the pulmonary circulation would cause pulmonary oedema (fluid buildup in the lungs, caused in this case by the liquid component of the blood being forced out of the capillaries into the alveoli), producing dyspnea (breathing difficulty). This in itself can be fatal, but if the patient survived this acute phase they would also experience chronic symptoms.

Over time, the left ventricle walls would hypertrophy (thicken and grow stronger in response to the increased load on them), which increases risks for arrhythmia. There would also be the development of dysfunction of the muscle, which would reduce pumping ability and exacerbate pulmonary congestion.

Mortality for acute mitrial prolapse is around 80%, so it's a bad thing to have. However, those who progress into the chronic phase tend to have a much better prognosis, with around 20% fatality rate over 5 years and 40% over 10. Pathologies associated with the chronic condition include increased risk of atrial fibrillation and endocarditis, with a small risk of sudden death.

In the under-20s, males are more frequently affected but over the age of 20 there's an even spread between men and women. Men over the age of 50 tend to suffer more complications, however. The mean age of occurrence is 36 +/- 6 years, and the condition is often secondary to heart attack