A 48 year old man was transferred to our department with cardiogenic shock, pyrexia, a high white cell count and significant serum troponin T level. Clinical evaluation revealed severe mitral regurgitation secondary to a flail of both mitral valve leaflets. An emergency cardiac catheterisation did not reveal any significant coronary artery disease. Left ventricular angiogram and echocardiography demonstrated a good left ventricular function and massive mitral regurgitation. Blood cultures were negative for aerobics, anaerobics and fungi. The patient underwent emergency mitral valve replacement with a mechanical valve. Intraoperatively, the posteromedial papillary muscle was found to be ruptured. Histology of the papillary muscle revealed myocardial necrosis with no signs of infection. Cultures obtained from a mitral valve specimen were negative. The patient's recovery was uneventful and he was discharged on the 6th postoperative day.