Papillary muscles, as components of the subvalvular apparatus, play a crucial role in the proper functioning of the heart valves. Although the most commonly encountered variants can be classified traditionally, it is essential to remember that there is significant variability in their number, structure, and shape. This variability is not without clinical significance – specific papillary muscle variants translate into different prognoses, therapeutic approaches, and surgical procedures. Therefore, in our study, we conducted an analysis of available literature to determine which papillary muscle variants are most common, what their vascular supply is, and what the significance of individual variants is in daily clinical practice. To achieve this, we searched popular scientific databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, using keywords such as papillary muscles, clinical aspects of papillary muscles, anatomical variability of papillary muscles, and papillary muscle rupture – as one of the most common clinical situations related to papillary muscles. This paper presents the results of our review – organised and accompanied by a table.