Spontaneous Atrioventricular Groove Disruption During Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Atrioventricular groove tear or disruption is a disastrous and technically challenging complication after mitral valve replacement surgery. This report details the untimely spontaneous occurrence of an atrioventricular tear during manipulation of the heart for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and its successful repair. Significant distortion of the mitral annulus and elevation of pulmonary artery pressures in the beating heart likely contributed to the spontaneous tear.