Long-term outcomes after transcatheter tricuspid valve-in-valve replacement

Transcatheter tricuspid valve-in-valve (ViV) replacement has emerged as a less invasive alternative to redo surgery in patients with failing bioprosthetic tricuspid valves. While short- and mid-term outcomes have been reported, data on long-term follow-up remain limited.

The authors conducted a single-center observational study including 12 consecutive patients who underwent transcatheter tricuspid ViV replacement. Clinical, echocardiographic, and procedural data were prospectively collected. Patients were followed at 1 and 12 months, and yearly thereafter; follow-up included annual clinical visits and echocardiography.

The mean age of the patients was 45 years (range, 23-69 years); 92% were women, and the indication for ViV was prosthetic valve regurgitation in most (58%) cases. A balloon-expandable SAPIEN valve (Edwards Lifesciences) was implanted in all cases, with 100% procedural success. After a mean follow-up of 6 years (range, 1-11 years), 3 (25%) patients died, and 1 was readmitted because of heart failure. Functional status improved significantly, with all surviving patients in New York Heart Association class I or II at last follow-up. Transvalvular gradients remained stable over time in 83% of the patients. Two (17%) patients developed bioprosthetic valve dysfunction during follow-up: one due to significant tricuspid stenosis and the other due to severe tricuspid regurgitation.

Tricuspid ViV replacement offers durable symptomatic improvement and stable prosthesis function during long-term follow-up in most cases. This study is the first to report outcomes greater than or equal to 5 years in this population and supports the continued use of ViV as a viable option for these patients. Larger studies are warranted to validate these findings.