Performance of Transcatheter Direct Annuloplasty in Patients With Atrial and Nonatrial Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: A novel echocardiography-based definition of atrial functional tricuspid regurgitation (A-FTR) has shown superior outcomes in patients undergoing conservative treatment or tricuspid valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair. Its prognostic significance for transcatheter tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TTVA) outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate prognostic, clinical, and technical implications of A-FTR phenotype in patients undergoing TTVA. METHODS: This multicenter study investigated clinical and echocardiographic outcomes up to 1 year in 165 consecutive patients who underwent TTVA for A-FTR (characterized by the absence of tricuspid valve tenting, midventricular right ventricular [RV] dilatation, and impaired left ventricular ejection fraction) and nonatrial functional tricuspid regurgitation (NA-FTR). RESULTS: A total of 62 A-FTR and 103 NA-FTR patients were identified, with the latter exhibiting more pronounced RV remodeling. Compared to baseline, the tricuspid regurgitation (TR) grade at discharge was significantly reduced (P < 0.001 for both subtypes), and TR ≤II was achieved more frequently in A-FTR (85.2% vs 60.8%; P = 0.001). Baseline TR grade and A-FTR phenotype were independently associated with TR ≤II at discharge and 30 days. In multivariate analyses, A-FTR phenotype was a strong predictor (OR: 5.8; 95% CI: 2.1-16.1; P < 0.001) of TR ≤II at 30 days. At 1 year, functional class had significantly improved compared to baseline (both P < 0.001). One-year mortality was lower in A-FTR (6.5% vs 23.8%; P = 0.011) without significant differences in heart failure hospitalizations (13.3% vs 22.7%; P = 0.188). CONCLUSIONS: Direct TTVA effectively reduces TR in both A-FTR, which is a strong and independent predictor of achieving TR ≤II, and NA-FTR. Even though NA-FTR showed more RV remodeling at baseline, both phenotypes experienced similar symptomatic improvement, emphasizing the benefit of TTVA even in advanced disease stages. Additionally, phenotyping was of prognostic relevance in patients undergoing TTVA.

Incidence and clinical impact of renal failure and bleeding following transcatheter tricuspid valve annuloplasty.

BACKGROUND: Bleeding is the most common complication after percutaneous leaflet-based tricuspid valve repair and associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) and adverse outcome. TTVA with the Cardioband system is a technically more complex procedure; however, frequency and prognostic impact of postinterventional bleeding and renal complications have not been thoroughly examined. AIMS: This study was performed to determine the incidence and clinical impact of bleeding complications (MVARC criteria) and acute kidney injury (KDIGO criteria) following transcatheter tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TTVA). METHODS: In a bi-center retrospective analysis of patients undergoing TTVA between 2018 and 2022, we examined frequency, predictors, and clinical impact of bleeding and renal failure. RESULTS: In 145 consecutive patients, the incidence of any MVARC bleeding was 20.7% (n = 30), whereas major MVARC bleeding occurred in 6.9% (n = 10). The incidence of AKI was 18.6% (n = 27). Risk factors for bleeding events included low baseline hemoglobin and elevated baseline creatinine levels. Risk factors for AKI included diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, high body mass index, and elevated baseline creatinine levels. Neither procedure duration nor amount of contrast media was associated with AKI or bleeding. Both bleeding and AKI led to a longer hospital stay. At 3 months, 10.0% (n = 3) of patients with bleeding and 7.8% (n = 9) of patients without bleeding complications died (p = 0.70). Additionally, mortality rate was 7.4% (n = 2) in patients with AKI compared to 8.5% (n = 10) without AKI (p = 0.83). CONCLUSION: While about a fifth of patients undergoing TTVA suffered from postinterventional AKI or bleeding, none of these complications was associated with higher mortality at short-term follow-up. One important risk factor for both complications was chronic renal dysfunction, indicating a high-risk patient population. The most frequent bleeding localizations were the femoral access site, pericardial hemorrhage, and the esophagus, which need explicit attention in periprocedural management.

A simplified cardiac damage staging predicts the outcome of patients undergoing TAVR-A multicenter analysis.

BACKGROUND: A significant number of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) suffer from extra-aortic cardiac damage. Few studies have investigated strategies to quantify cardiac damage and stratify patients accordingly in different risk groups. The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to provide a user-friendly simplified staging system based on the proposed classification system of Généreux et al. as a tool to evaluate the prognosis of patients undergoing TAVR more easily. Moreover, we analyzed changes in cardiac damage after TAVR. METHODS: We assessed cardiac damage in patients, who underwent TAVR at the Heart Center Bonn or Düsseldorf, using pre- and postprocedural transthoracic echocardiography. Patients were assigned to the staging system proposed by Généreux et al. according to the severity of their baseline cardiac damage. Based on the established system, we created a simplified staging system to facilitate improved applicability. Finally, we compared clinical outcomes between the groups and evaluated changes in cardiac damage after TAVR. RESULTS: A total of 933 TAVR patients were included in the study. We found a significant association between cardiac damage and 1-year all-cause mortality (stage 0: 0% vs. stage 1: 3% vs. stage 2: 6.6%; p < 0.009). In multivariate analysis, cardiac damage was an independent predictor of 1-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.1-3.8; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing TAVR, cardiac damage is associated with enhanced mortality. A simplified staging system can help identify patients at high risk for an adverse outcome.