Study details
The patients Dr. Hausleiter and his coinvestigators studied had symptomatic TR, predominantly of grade 3+ or 4+, despite receiving adequate medical therapy, as well as a high operative risk, with an average EuroSCORE II of 11.2%. On average, two MitraClips were placed in their tricuspid valve during the procedure.
“We were able to demonstrate that this procedure can be performed very safely. There was a mortality of only 2% in the first 30 days, and one conversion to surgery,” Dr. Hausleiter reported at the meeting, which is sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. “We were able to reduce the TR by at least one grade in 89% of patients, and concomitant treatment for mitral regurgitation was also performed in the same procedure in 52%.”
The rate of procedural success, defined as achievement of TR grade of 1+ or 2+ at discharge, was 77%. Independent predictors of procedural failure were noncentral/nonanteroseptal TR jet location and larger TR effective regurgitant orifice area, tenting area, and leaflet gap.
With a mean follow-up of about 10 months, compared with peers in whom the procedure failed, patients in whom it was successful had a higher 1-year rate of freedom from unplanned rehospitalization or death (70.1% vs. 49.7%; P less than .0001).
The 77% rate of procedural success at discharge was largely maintained at 1 year, when it was 72%. There was also a significant improvement in NYHA class distribution in the entire cohort (P less than .001), with 69% of patients attaining class I or II at this time point, compared with virtually none at baseline. Prevalence of peripheral edema fell from 84% to 26% (P less than .001).
Dr. Hausleiter reported that he receives research support and speaker honoraria from Abbott Vascular and Edwards Lifesciences. The registry is sponsored by the University of Zürich.