Transcatheter Versus Medical Treatment of Patients With Symptomatic Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation

BACKGROUND Tricuspid Regurgitation (TR) is associated with increased rates of heart failure (HF) and mortality. Transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions (TTVI) are promising, but the clinical benefit is unknown. OBJECTIVES To investigate the potential benefit of TTVI over medical therapy in a propensity score matched population. METHODS The TriValve (Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Therapies) registry collected 472 patients from 22 European and North American centers, who underwent TTVI from 2016 to 2018. A control cohort formed by two large retrospective registries enrolling medically managed patients with ≥moderate TR in Europe and North America (1179 pts) were propensity score 1:1 matched (distance ± 0.2 SD) using age, Euroscore II, and systolic pulmonary artery pressure. Survival was tested with Cox regression analysis. Primary endpoint was 1-year mortality or HF rehospitalization or the composite. RESULTS After matching, 268 adequately matched pairs of patients were identified. Compared to controls, TTVI patients had lower 1-year mortality (23 ±3% vs 36 ±3%, p=0.001), rehospitalization (26 ±3% vs 47 ±3% p<0.0001), and composite endpoint (32 ±4% vs 49 ±3%; p=0.0003). TTVI was associated with greater survival and freedom from HF rehospitalization (HR 0.60 [0.46-0.79], p=0.003 unadjusted) which remained significant after adjusting for sex, NYHA class, right ventricular dysfunction and atrial fibrillation (HR 0.39 [0.26-0.59], p<0.0001) and after further adjustment for mitral regurgitation and pacemaker/defibrillator (HR 0.35 [0.23.54], p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS In this propensity matched case-control study, TTVI is associated with greater survival and reduced HF rehospitalization compared with medical therapy alone. Randomized trials should be performed to confirm these results.