The value of convalescent care for rheumatic children

A new look at acute rheumatic mitral regurgitation

“…There were no randomized studies, except for a "control" study which showed patients cared for at home had more residual rheumatic heart disease than those who received institutional convalescent care. 91 At that time, myocarditis was considered to be the dominant component of rheumatic pancarditis, and the most effective way to decrease cardiac output was to put the patient on bed rest. As discussed, both recent and past experimental studies of mitral valvar function have shown that cordal tension is decreased with lower left ventricular pressure.…”