van der Bijl P, et al. - Given that functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is common in heart failure (HF) and adversely affects prognosis, researchers assessed 1,313 patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) to determine the prevalence, evolution, and impact of FMR on mortality before and after CRT. Patients were divided into four FMR groups based on evolution at 6 months following CRT: no/mild FMR at baseline, which remained unchanged at 6 months; no/mild FMR, which worsened to moderate/severe; moderate/severe FMR, which improved to none/mild; and moderate/severe FMR, which remained unchanged. Patients were followed-up for a mean 51 ± 38 months, in which time 297 (25%) patients deaths were recorded. Findings suggested that, in patients with HF, there may exist a strong link between moderate-to-severe FMR at baseline and long-term mortality.