Mitral Valve ProlapseMitral valve prolapse is a common abnormality of the heart valve and is the cause of mitral regurgitation. The valve leaflets are “flaccid” and do not close tightly allowing blood to flow backward into the heart. The effect is that blood can't move through the heart or to the rest of the body as efficiently, making you feel tired and short of breath. History of Mitral Valve Prolapse The condition was first described by John Brereton Barlow in 1966, a world-renowned South African cardiologist. He was Professor of Cardiology at the research unit of the Johannesburg Hospital where he conducted studies on cardiac disorders discovering the cause of mitral valve disorder, also called Barlow syndrome (Tsung O, Cheng 5 March 1995). What is mitral valve prolapseThe normal mitral valve controls blood flow between the upper (left atrium) and lower (left ventricle) chambers of the left side of the heart. The mitral valve allows blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle, but not to flow in the opposite direction. With each heartbeat, the atria contract and push blood into the ventricles. The flaps of the mitral and tricuspid valves open to let blood through. Then, the ventricles contract to pump blood out of the heart. The leaflets of the mitral and tricuspid valves close and form an airtight seal that prevents blood from flowing back into the atria (nhlbi.nih.gov). When MVP occurs, the left ventricle contracts, one or both mitral valve leaflets droop or sag. bulge (prolapse) in the left atrium, this prevents the valve from forming an airtight seal. As a result, blood may flow back into the atrium, which is called regurgitation (nhlbi.nih.gov). Symptom...... middle of paper ......accountid=158514Nishimura, R. A., & McGoon, M. D. (1999). Editorial: Perspectives on mitral valve prolapse. The New England Journal of Medicine, 341(1), 48-50. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223939414?accountid=158514Rezaian, G. R., & Ali, E. (2001). Mitral valve prolapse in patients with pure rheumatic mitral stenosis: an angiographic study. Angiology, 52(4), 267-71. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224851069?accountid=158514Wand, O., Prokupetz, A., Grossman, A., & Assa, A. (2011). Natural history of mitral valve prolapse in military aircrew. Cardiology, 118(1), 50-4. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000324313 Weyman, A. E., & Scherrer-Crosbie, M. (2004). Marfan syndrome and mitral valve prolapse. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 114(11), 1543-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200501268?accountid=158514