Which of the following is an effect of mitral regurgitation on the heart?

Mitral regurgitation is characterized by the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium during ventricular systole due to an improper closure of the mitral valve. This backflow leads to volume overload in the left atrium, which consequently results in an increase in left atrial pressure.

As more blood enters the left atrium than can move efficiently into the left ventricle during diastole, the pressure within the left atrium rises. This increase in left atrial pressure can lead to a variety of clinical consequences, including atrial enlargement and the potential for arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation. Understanding this mechanism is crucial in recognizing how mitral regurgitation affects cardiac hemodynamics and can lead to the development of heart failure over time.

In contrast, options such as increased cardiac output and decreased left atrial volume do not typically occur with mitral regurgitation. In fact, cardiac output may remain stable initially before declining due to the heart's inability to cope with the added volume load. Additionally, left atrial volume would be expected to increase, not decrease, as a result of the regurgitant flow. The notion that mitral regurgitation decreases stress on the left