Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Therapy

Transcatheter valvular therapies in patients with left ventricular assist devices

Aortic, mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation are commonly encountered in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs). These valvular heart conditions either develop prior to CF-LVAD implantation or are induced by the pump itself. They can all have significant detrimental effects on patients' survival and quality of life. With the improved durability of CF-LVADs and the overall rise in their volume of implants, an increasing number of patients will likely require a valvular heart intervention at some point during CF-LVAD therapy. However, these patients are often considered poor reoperative candidates. In this context, percutaneous approaches have emerged as an attractive “off-label” option for this patient population. Recent data show promising results, with high device success rates and rapid symptomatic improvements. However, the occurrence of distinct complications such as device migration, valve thrombosis or hemolysis remain of concern. In this review, we will present the pathophysiology of valvular heart disease in the setting of CF-LVAD support to help us understand the underlying rationale of these potential complications. We will then outline the current recommendations for the management of valvular heart disease in patients with CF-LVAD and discuss their limitations. Lastly, we will summarize the evidence related to transcatheter heart valve interventions in this patient population.

Temporal Trends in Prevalence of Tricuspid Valve Disease in Hospitalized Patients in the United States

Tricuspid valve disease (TVD), particularly tricuspid regurgitation, is a common valvular pathology that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of TVD in hospitalized patients has not been well characterized. We used the National Inpatient Sample to determine the overall and age- and sex-specific prevalence and temporal trends in prevalence of TVD in hospitalized patients in the US. All-cause and heart failure (HF) hospitalizations in patients ≥50 years of age from January 2006 to September 2015 in the US were identified. Temporal trends in the prevalence of TVD were studied using Poisson regression. Of 194,184,433 all-cause and 38,083,773 HF hospitalizations in patients ≥50 years of age, 3,235,292 (1.7%) and 1,787,548 (4.7%) had a diagnosis of TVD, respectively. From 2006 to 2015, the prevalence of TVD in all hospitalizations and in HF hospitalizations increased from 1.7% to 2.0% and from 3.9% to 5.7%, respectively (p_trend <0.001 for both), particularly in those ≥85 years of age and in women. In patients with TVD, primary reasons for hospitalizations were HF (20.8%), infections (10.1%), arrhythmias (9.8%), respiratory conditions (8.4%), and coronary artery disease/acute myocardial infarction (8.2%). In-hospital mortality and length of stay in patients with TVD remained unchanged, whereas costs of hospitalization increased during the study period. In conclusion, the prevalence of TVD in all hospitalized patients and in those hospitalized with HF has increased over the past several years, particularly in those ≥85 years of age and in women. Approximately 1 in 5 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of TVD is due to HF.

Current state of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common valvular heart disease affecting >1.6 million people in the United States (US) and >70 million people worldwide. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of more than or equal to moderate TR in the US is estimated to be 0.55%. One-year mortality increases with increasing severity of TR. Yet, the majority of patients with severe TR are managed medically in the absence of another indication for cardiac surgery, and isolated tricuspid valve (TV) surgery remains infrequent. To address this unmet clinical need, various transcatheter TV therapies are now being developed as an alternative to surgery in extreme- and high-risk patients with severe functional TR. Transcatheter TV repair devices are aimed at improving leaflet coaptation either directly by bringing the leaflets together (leaflet/coaptation devices) or indirectly by repairing the dilated annulus (annuloplasty devices). In this review, we describe the current state of transcatheter TV repair therapies and summarize the available data on the efficacy and safety of various devices. Procedural and clinical outcomes of transcatheter TV repair therapies are expected to improve in the coming years with technological advancement, newer device iterations, and increased experience in this field. Appropriate patient selection, optimal timing of intervention, and evaluation of long-term outcomes and device durability will be key in ongoing and future studies.