PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Reginelli, Joel P.
AU  - Griffin, Brian
TI  - The challenge of valvular heart disease: When is it time to operate?
DP  - 2004 Jun 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 463--482
VI  - 71
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/71/6/463.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/71/6/463.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med2004 Jun 01; 71
AB  - In patients with valve disease, operating too soon exposes them to unnecessary surgical risk, but waiting too long may lead to cardiac damage and poor outcome. When to refer a patient for surgery depends on which valve is involved, the type of defect (stenosis or regurgitation), the degree of the defect, and the degree of symptoms or functional impairment.