Acute flail mitral leaflet is a time-sensitive, reversible cause of cardiogenic shock. Transthoracic echocardiography (echo) is increasingly becoming a vital tool for non-cardiologist physicians who treat patients with undifferentiated chest pain and dyspnoea. The sonographic abnormalities seen in acute flail mitral leaflet are within the boundaries of a focused echo. Individually, these findings are non-specific. As a constellation, however, they are highly suggestive of this disease process. We present a case series of three patients with acute flail mitral leaflet seen on emergency department echo along with a discussion of the findings and the disease itself.
Keywords: chordae tendineae; echocardiography; mitral valve insufficiency; papillary muscles.