In historic perspectives, tricuspid valve was considered as “forgotten valve” in the cardiovascular field. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is the main disease of the tricuspid valve, and the number of patients is large. TR patients have mostly treated conservatively with drugs due to high surgical mortality, so the effective treatment of TR patients is far from satisfactory. With the development of interventional technology, transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI) is expected to become a better choice. In recent years, a number of TTVI devices have entered clinical trials and achieved good results. Due to the late development of TTVI technology and insufficient accumulation of clinical applications, there are no uniform inclusion criteria and evaluation indicators for research endpoints when conducting clinical trials. This article focuses on the introduction of different instruments of TTVI, and summarizes the current status, research progress and problems of these treatments.
Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common cardiac valve disease in clinic. Traditional medical treatment can only relieve symptoms, while surgical operations, due to their large trauma and high risks, are difficult to cover high-risk patients who are elderly and with multiple comorbidities. Transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI), as a new treatment strategy, provides a new choice for this group. In recent years, various devices for TTVI have emerged. This paper elaborates the characteristics of TR, the design characteristics of existing TTVI devices, relevant clinical research, and the comprehensive evaluation means of device selection, and points out the existing shortcomings and future development direction.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical efficacy of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) in cardiac implantable electronic lead-related tricuspid regurgitation (TR). MethodsThe patients with severe TR who underwent LuX-Valve TTVR in 9 Chinese medical centers from June 2020 to August 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. They were divided into a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) group and a non-CIED group based on whether they had pre-existing CIED implantation. Success of the procedure was defined as safe implantation of the LuX-Valve and complete withdrawal of the delivery system. Prognostic improvement was defined as a decrease of TR grade to≤2+ and an improvement of cardiac function by≥2 grades. Surgical success and postoperative prognosis were compared between the two groups. ResultsA total of 190 patients were collected, including 50 males and 140 females with a mean age of 66.2±7.8 years. There were 29 patients in the CIED group, and 161 patients in the non-CIED group. In the CIED group, 28 patients were implanted with a permanent pacemaker and 1 patient with a cardioverter-defibrillator. Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function class, TR degree, left ventricular ejection fraction, tricuspid annular plane systolic excusion, and cardiac risk scores were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). Postoperative TR was reduced to≤2+ in all patients, and there was no statistical difference in the incidence of perivalvular leakage between the two groups (P=0.270). Postoperative CT of CIED patients showed the valve was in place, and the lead was not extruded, twisted, or deflected. The in-hospital mortality of the two groups were 10.3% and 1.9%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.047). In addition, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative improvement of cardiac function and mortality in the 1- and 2-year follow-up. ConclusionTTVR is feasible, safe, and effective in patients with CIED implantation, and the pre-existing lead has no significant effect on the clinical efficacy.
We reported a 54-year-old female patient with severe tricuspid regurgitation, who received mechanic valve in the mitral position 15 years ago. The patient’s Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was 8.27%, and was intolerant to open heart surgery, so she was recommended for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement via right vena jugularis interna. The procedures were guided by echocardiography and X ray fluoroscopy on November 13, 2021, the prosthesis was implanted successfully, and the patient was recoved without any adverse events. After 1 month follow-up, her general condition was apparently improved.
