Key result
Concomitant tricuspid valve repair during LVAD implantation in patients with ≥moderate TR reduced postoperative TR severity but did not improve early right heart failure or 2-year mortality.
Why the study?
It was unknown whether concomitant tricuspid valve repair during LVAD implantation improves outcomes in patients with ≥moderate tricuspid regurgitation, and the prognostic value of preoperative RV strain needed evaluation.
Does concomitant tricuspid valve repair improve early right heart failure and 2-year mortality in LVAD recipients with ≥moderate tricuspid regurgitation?
Cohort (n=100)
Does concomitant tricuspid valve repair improve early right heart failure and 2-year mortality in LVAD recipients with ≥moderate tricuspid regurgitation?
Concomitant tricuspid valve repair during LVAD implantation reduces TR severity but does not improve clinical outcomes or RV remodeling, whereas preoperative RV strain metrics independently predict 2-year mortality.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether concomitant tricuspid valve repair (TVr) at the time of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation improves outcomes in patients with ≥moderate tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and to evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative right ventricular (RV) strain. Methods: In a retrospective analysis of 100 LVAD recipients (44 TVr; 56 No-TVr), preoperative (preop) and postoperative (postop) clinical, echocardiographic, and hemodynamic variables, including pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPI), were analyzed. RV free wall strain (RV-FWS) and RV fractional area change (RV-FAC) were measured by speckle tracking. Early right heart failure (RHF) was modeled with multivariable logistic regression, and 2-year mortality was assessed with Fine–Gray competing risk regression. Preoperative and three-month measurements were compared within each of the 100 patients. Results: Baseline invasive hemodynamics, RV-FWS, and RV-FAC were similar between the TVr and No-TVr groups. TVr at the time of LVAD implantation reduced postoperative TR grade, but it did not improve RV-FWS or RV-FAC at 3 months. The No-TVr patients were more often discharged home and had lower 30-day readmissions. PVR was comparable preoperatively and at 3 months postoperatively. In adjusted analyses, preop PVR, PAPI, and TVr were not independently associated with early RHF, whereas decreased preoperative RV-FWS and lower preop RV-FAC independently predicted higher 2-year mortality. Conclusions: In LVAD recipients with ≥moderate TR, concomitant TVr lowers postoperative TR severity but does not improve early RHF, RV strain-based remodeling, or 2-year mortality. Preoperative RV deformation metrics, rather than preoperative PVR or PAPI, independently predict survival following LVAD implantation with or without TVr.
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Kislitsina et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients with ≥moderate tricuspid regurgitation (n=100). Concomitant tricuspid valve repair (TVr) vs. No tricuspid valve repair (No-TVr) was evaluated on Early right heart failure and 2-year mortality. Concomitant tricuspid valve repair during LVAD implantation in patients with ≥moderate TR reduced postoperative TR severity but did not improve early right heart failure or 2-year mortality.
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