Concomitant tricuspid valve repair in left ventricular assist device implantation may increase the risk for temporary right ventricular support but does not impact overall outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

Tricuspid valve repair in left ventricular assist device implantation continues to pose a challenge and may impact the occurrence of early and late right heart failure. We investigated the effects of concomitant tricuspid repair on clinical outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective, multicentre study enrolled adult patients who received continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices between 2005 and 2017 and compared those who received concomitant tricuspid valve repair to those who did not. Primary outcomes were early right heart failure necessitating temporary ventricular assist devices and right heart failure-related rehospitalizations requiring inotropic or diuretic treatment.

RESULTS

Out of 526 patients who underwent left ventricular assist device implantation, 110 (21%) received a concomitant tricuspid valve repair. Those patients were sicker, and most had moderate or severe tricuspid regurgitation. A significantly higher incidence of temporary right ventricular assist devices was observed in the group with concomitant tricuspid valve repair (18% vs 11%, P = 0.049), with a significantly elevated risk for temporary right heart assist device (sHR 1.68 [95% CI 1.04-2.72], P = 0.037). After adjusting for confounders, no significant differences were found in the incidence of and risk for most clinical outcomes, including right heart failure-related rehospitalizations (P = 0.891) and death (P = 0.563).

CONCLUSIONS

Concomitant tricuspid valve repair, when deemed necessary in left ventricular assist device implantation, may increase the risk of early right heart failure requiring a temporary right ventricular assist device but does not impact the incidence or risk of death or rehospitalizations due to late right heart failure.