Tricuspid Valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TriClip): Initial Outcomes and Experience in Türkiye

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Interventional Cardiology
• Cardiac Surgery

Background:

• Severe secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR) poses significant risks, especially for high-risk patients.
• Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) offers a less invasive alternative to surgery for TR.
• Data on TEER outcomes in Turkish populations are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tricuspid valve (TV) TEER using MitraClip or TriClip devices.
• To provide Turkish-specific data on procedural success and clinical follow-up for severe secondary TR.
• To assess outcomes in high-risk patients unsuitable for conventional surgery.

Main Methods:

• 42 high-risk patients with severe secondary TR underwent TEER with MitraClip or TriClip.
• Patient selection required severe TR, high surgical risk (EuroScore ≥ 8, TRI-SCORE ≥ 6), and symptomatic status despite medical therapy.
• Rigorous pre-procedural evaluation included 2D/3D transesophageal echocardiography.

Main Results:

• 100% procedural success rate achieved, with at least one-degree reduction in TR severity.
• Post-procedure, 88.1% of patients had mild to moderate TR; only 11.9% had severe TR.
• Median follow-up of 11.5 months showed 23.8% rehospitalization and 7.1% mortality, indicating a favorable safety profile. Both devices demonstrated similar outcomes.

Conclusions:

• TV TEER using TriClip or MitraClip is effective and safe for managing severe secondary TR in high-risk patients.
• The procedure leads to significant improvement in TR severity and favorable clinical outcomes.
• Transcatheter techniques are a valuable option for TR management in patients with high surgical risk.