Ischaemic mitral regurgitation is an important determinant of survival in patients with coronary artery disease. A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the overall outcome and its determinants in patients with ischaemic mitral regurgitation. Over a period of 10 years, 72 patients underwent operations for mitral regurgitation of ischaemic origin. Age ranged from 37 to 68 years (mean 54.6 +/- 10.4 years), and 62 (86.1%) were male. Thirteen (18%) patients had acute and 59 (82%) had chronic ischaemic mitral regurgitation. Twenty-one patients were in New York Heart Association class II, 32 in class III and 19 in class IV. Moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction was present in 42 patients. Valve prolapse was present in 35 (48.6%) patients and restricted leaflet motion secondary to myocardial dysfunction was present in 37 (51.4%) patients. All the patients were operated using standard cardiopulmonary bypass technique. Mitral valve was replaced in 33 patients and repaired in 39. Repair included a combination of techniques: chordal transposition (n = 2), chordal shortening (n = 18), leaflet resection (n = 2), posterior collar annuloplasty (n = 35) and annuloplasty with flexible Duran's ring (n = 3). Operative mortality was 18.1 percent (13/72). Low cardiac output was the cause of death in the majority (n = 10). Acute presentation and presence of restricted leaflet motion were the significant predictors of early mortality. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 84 months (mean 41.6 +/- 10.2 months). Late mortality was 46.2 percent. Actuarial survival in operative survivors at five years was 44.4 +/- 8.8 percent. To conclude, ischaemic mitral regurgitation carries a poor early and late outcome, with left ventricular dysfunction and presence of restricted leaflet motion being important contributors to it. In addition, acute presentation also reflects greater early mortality.