Transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention: to repair or to replace?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The burden of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is high in the aging population, almost 4% in the age group over 75 have moderate or more TR. This carries a poor prognosis and an increased incidence of mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and rehospitalization in symptomatic patients with severe TR is observed. Percutaneous tricuspid valve intervention has emerged as a viable therapeutic option, with an increasingly large toolbox of both tricuspid repair and replacement devices. The optimal strategy, timing and patient selection for transcatheter intervention are yet to be determined. This review focuses on the current strengths and limitations of transcatheter tricuspid repair vs. replacement, drawing on lessons learned from surgery. RECENT FINDINGS: Early outcome studies have been published in the last 2 years for many of the new percutaneous tricuspid valve devices. We have summarized these results and compared them to surgical tricuspid valve repair and replacement. We found that surgical data shows a tendency to better outcome with tricuspid valve repair compared to replacement. For transcatheter interventions studies comparing repair and replacement are lacking but both interventions show good procedural success rates and are efficient in reducing the grade of tricuspid regurgitation. SUMMARY: Transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions offer a safe and effective alternative to tricuspid surgery or medical therapy. The decision between valve replacement and repair should be based on patient anatomy, operator experience and device availability until head-to-head comparison of different devices are available.

Impact of early sports specialisation on paediatric ECG.

Athletes of pediatric age are growing in number. They are subject to a number of risks, among them sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to characterize the pediatric athlete population in Switzerland, to evaluate electrocardiographic findings based on the International Criteria for electrocardiography (ECG) Interpretation in Athletes, and to analyze the association between demographic data, sport type, and ECG changes. Retrospective, observational study of pediatric athletes (less than 18 years old) including medical history, physical examination, and a 12-lead resting ECG. The primary focus was on identification of normal, borderline, and abnormal ECG findings. The secondary observation was the relation between ECG and demographic, anthropometric, sport-related, and clinical data. The 891 athletes (mean 14.8 years, 35% girls) practiced 45 different sports on three different levels, representing all types of static and dynamic composition of the Classification of Sports by Mitchell. There were 75.4% of normal ECG findings, among them most commonly early repolarization, sinus bradycardia, and left ventricular hypertrophy; 4.3% had a borderline finding; 2.1% were abnormal and required further investigations, without SCD-related diagnosis. While the normal ECG findings were related to sex, age, and endurance sports, no such observation was found for borderline or abnormal criteria. Our results in an entirely pediatric population of athletes demonstrate that sex, age, and type of sports correlate with normal ECG findings. Abnormal ECG findings in pediatric athletes are rare. The International Criteria for ECG Interpretation in Athletes are appropriate for this age group.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients Screened for Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement: The TriACT Registry.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) abolishes tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and has emerged as a definitive treatment for TR. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this multicenter, observational study was to determine the clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of patients with TR screened for TTVR. METHODS: Patients underwent TTVR screening at 7 centers on a compassionate-use basis. The primary endpoints were NYHA functional class and TR grade at 30-day follow-up. Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality, heart failure hospitalization, technical success, and reasons for TTVR screening failure. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients (median age 79 years [Q1-Q3: 72-84 years], 54% women) underwent TTVR screening. The TTVR screening failure rate was 74%, mainly related to large tricuspid annular diameter. Patients undergoing TTVR (n = 38) had significant functional improvements (NYHA functional class I or II from 21% to 68%; P < 0.001), with TR ≤1+ in 97% at 30-day follow-up (P < 0.001 from baseline). Technical success was achieved in 91%, with no intraprocedural mortality or conversion to surgery. At 30-day follow-up, mortality was 8%, heart failure hospitalization 5%, major bleeding 18%, and reintervention 9%. Patients who failed screening for TTVR and subsequently underwent "bailout" transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (n = 26) had favorable outcomes (NYHA functional class I or II from 27% to 58%; P < 0.001), with TR ≤1+ in 43% at 30-day follow-up (P < 0.001 from baseline). CONCLUSIONS: This first real-world report of TTVR screening demonstrated a high screening failure rate, mainly related to large tricuspid annular diameter. Patients undergoing TTVR had superior TR reduction and symptom alleviation compared with bailout tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, at the cost of greater procedural complications.

Amyloid Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy in Elderly Patients With Aortic Stenosis Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background The prevalence of calcific aortic stenosis and amyloid transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) increase with age, and they often coexist. The objective was to determine the prevalence of ATTR-CM in patients with severe aortic stenosis and evaluate differences in presentations and outcomes of patients with concomitant ATTR-CM undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Methods and Results Prospective screening for ATTR-CM with Technetium99-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid bone scintigraphy was performed in 315 patients referred with severe aortic stenosis between August 2019 and August 2021. Myocardial Technetium99-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid tracer uptake was detected in 34 patients (10.8%), leading to a diagnosis of ATTR-CM in 30 patients (Perugini ≥2: 9.5%). Age (85.7±4.9 versus 82.8±4.5; P=0.001), male sex (82.4% versus 57.7%; P=0.005), and prior carpal tunnel surgery (17.6% versus 4.3%; P=0.007) were associated with coexisting ATTR-CM, as were ECG (discordant QRS voltage to left ventricular wall thickness [42% versus 12%; P<0.001]), echocardiographic (left ventricular ejection fraction 48.8±12.8 versus 58.4±10.8; P<0.001; left ventricular mass index, 144.4±45.8 versus 117.2±34.4g/m2; P<0.001), and hemodynamic parameters (mean aortic valve gradient, 23.4±12.6 versus 35.5±16.6; P<0.001; mean pulmonary artery pressure, 29.5±9.7 versus 25.8±9.5; P=0.037). Periprocedural (cardiovascular death: hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.04-12.53]; stroke: HR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.03-7.77]; pacemaker implantation: HR, 1.54 [95% CI, 0.69-3.43]) and 1-year clinical outcomes (cardiovascular death: HR, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.37-2.96]; stroke: HR, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.02-5.63]; pacemaker implantation: HR, 1.50 [95% CI, 0.67-3.34]) were similar between groups. Conclusions Coexisting ATTR-CM was observed in every 10th elderly patient with severe aortic stenosis referred for therapy. While patients with coexisting pathologies differ in clinical presentation and echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters, peri-interventional risk and early clinical outcomes were comparable up to 1 year after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT04061213.

Continued non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants versus vitamin K antagonists during transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

BACKGROUND: One-third of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have an indication for long-term oral anticoagulation (OAC). AIMS: We aimed to investigate whether continued non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy compared with continued vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy during TAVI is equally safe and effective.  Methods: Consecutive patients on OAC with either NOAC or VKA undergoing transfemoral TAVI at five European centres were enrolled. The primary outcome measure was a composite of major/life-threatening bleeding, stroke, and all-cause mortality at 30 days. RESULTS: In total, 584 patients underwent TAVI under continued OAC with 294 (50.3%) patients receiving VKA and 290 (49.7%) patients receiving NOAC. At 30 days, the composite primary outcome had occurred in 51 (17.3%) versus 36 (12.4%) patients with continued VKA and with continued NOAC, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43-1.07; p=0.092). Rates of major/life-threatening bleeding (OR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.52-1.47; p=0.606) and stroke (OR 1.02, 95% CI: 0.29-3.59; p=0.974) were not different between groups. In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, continued NOAC, compared with continued VKA, was associated with a lower risk for all-cause 1-year mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.61, 95% CI: 0.37-0.98; p=0.043). The analysis of the propensity score-matched cohort revealed similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Continued NOAC compared with continued VKA during TAVI led to comparable outcomes with regard to the composite outcome measure indicating that continued OAC with both drugs is feasible. These hypothesis-generating results need to be confirmed by a dedicated randomised controlled trial.

Acute Afterload Mismatch After Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair.

Acute afterload mismatch and left ventricular dysfunction after mitral valve repair are well established. The impact of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVr) on right ventricular (RV) function is less clearly defined. To our knowledge, there are no reports of acute RV dysfunction after TTVr. Here we report a case of acute afterload mismatch after successful TTVr. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

The Role of Intracardiac Echocardiography in Percutaneous Tricuspid Intervention: A New ICE Age.

The prevalence of severe tricuspid regurgitation in older patients is high, and the clinical relevance is perceived more and more in recent years. Many of these patients are not suitable for surgery because of their age and comorbidities. Therefore, a variety of percutaneous interventions have been developed to address this unmet need. Procedural success strongly depends on adequate imaging during the intervention. Although transesophageal echocardiography is the standard of care, imaging may be limited due to anatomic factors and adverse acoustic shadowing. In this review, we discuss the current and future role of intracardiac echocardiography in tricuspid valve interventions.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with rheumatic aortic stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) accounts for the highest number of deaths from valvular heart disease globally. Yet, rheumatic aortic stenosis (AS) was excluded from landmark studies investigating the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We aimed to describe the clinical and anatomical characteristics of patients with rheumatic AS undergoing TAVI, and to compare procedural and clinical outcomes with patients undergoing TAVI for degenerative AS. METHODS: In a prospective TAVI registry, patients with rheumatic AS were identified based on International Classification of Diseases version 10 codes and/or a documented history of acute rheumatic fever and/or the World Heart Federation criteria for echocardiographic diagnosis of RHD, and were propensity score-matched in a 1:4 ratio to patients with degenerative AS. RESULTS: Among 2329 patients undergoing TAVI, 105 (4.5%) had rheumatic AS. Compared with patients with degenerative AS, patients with rheumatic AS were more commonly female, older, had higher surgical risk and more commonly suffered from multivalvular heart disease. In the unmatched cohort, both technical success (85.7% vs 85.9%, p=0.887) and 1-year cardiovascular mortality (10.0% vs 8.6%; HR 1.16, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.18, p=0.656) were comparable between patients with rheumatic and degenerative AS. In contrast, patients with rheumatic AS had lower rates of 30-day and 1-year cardiovascular mortality compared with matched patients with degenerative AS (1.9% vs 8.9%, adjusted HR (HRadj) 0.18, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.80, p=0.024; and 10.0% vs 20.3%, HRadj 0.44, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.84, p=0.012, respectively). CONCLUSION: TAVI may be a safe and effective treatment strategy for selected elderly patients with rheumatic AS. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01368250.

Reproducibility of 4D cardiac computed tomography feature tracking myocardial strain and comparison against speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with severe aortic stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial strain is an established parameter for the assessment of cardiac function and routinely derived from speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). Novel post-processing tools allow deformation imaging also by 4D cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCT). This retrospective study aims to analyze the reproducibility of CCT strain and compare it to that of STE. METHODS: Left (LV) and right ventricular (RV), and left atrial (LA) ejection fraction (EF), dimensions, global longitudinal (GLS), circumferential (GCS) and radial strain (GRS) were determined by STE and CCT feature tracking in consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis evaluated for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. RESULTS: 106 patients (mean age 79.9 â€‹± â€‹7.8, 44.3% females) underwent CCT at a median of 3 days (IQR 0-28 days) after STE. In CCT, strain measures showed good to excellent reproducibility (intra- and inter-reader intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.75) consistently in the LV, RV and LA. In STE, only LV GLS and LA GLS yielded good reproducibility, whereas LV GCS and LV GRS showed moderate, and RV GLS and free wall longitudinal strain (FWLS) poor reproducibility. Agreement between CCT and STE was strong for LV GLS only, while other strain features displayed moderate (LV GCS, LA GLS) or weak (LV GRS, RV GLS and FWLS) inter-modality correlation. CONCLUSION: LV, RV and LA CCT strain assessments were highly reproducible. While a strong agreement to STE was found for LV GLS, inter-modality correlation was moderate or weak for LV GCS, LV GRS, and RV and LA longitudinal strain, possibly related to poor reproducibility of STE measurements.

Safety and Efficacy of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Continuation of Vitamin K Antagonists or Direct Oral Anticoagulants.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with peri-procedural continuation of oral anticoagulation is equally safe and efficacious as TAVR with peri-procedural interruption of anticoagulation. BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of patients undergoing TAVR have an indication for long-term oral anticoagulation. The optimal peri-procedural management of such patients is unknown. METHODS: Consecutive patients on oral anticoagulation who underwent transfemoral TAVR at 5 European centers were enrolled. Oral anticoagulation was either stopped 2 to 4 days before TAVR or continued throughout the procedure. Primary safety outcome was major bleeding. Secondary efficacy endpoints included vascular complications, stroke, and mortality. RESULTS: Of 4,459 patients, 584 patients were treated with continuation of anticoagulation and 733 with interruption of anticoagulation. At 30 days, major or life-threatening bleedings occurred in 66 (11.3%) versus 105 (14.3%; odds ratio [OR]: 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61 to 1.21; p = 0.39) and major vascular complications in 64 (11.0%) versus 90 (12.3%; OR: 0.89; CI: 0.62 to 1.27; p = 0.52) of patients with continuation and with interruption of anticoagulation, respectively. Transfusion of packed red blood cells was less often required in patients with continuation of anticoagulation (80 [13.7%] vs. 130 [17.7%]; OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.81; p = 0.001). Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival at 12 months were 85.3% in patients with continuation of anticoagulation and 84.0% in patients with interruption of anticoagulation (hazard ratio: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.73 to 1.12; p = 0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Continuation of oral anticoagulation throughout TAVR did not increase bleeding or vascular complication rates. Moreover, packed red blood cell transfusions were less often required in patients with continuation of oral anticoagulation.

Impact of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Calcification on Procedural Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to systematically assess the importance of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) calcification on procedural outcomes and device performances with contemporary transcatheter heart valve (THV) systems. BACKGROUND: LVOT calcification has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, the available evidence is limited to observational data with modest numbers and incomplete assessment of the effect of the different THV systems. METHODS: In a retrospective analysis of a prospective single-center registry, LVOT calcification was assessed in a semiquantitative fashion. Moderate or severe LVOT calcification was documented in the presence of 2 nodules of calcification, or 1 extending >5 mm in any direction, or covering >10 % of the perimeter of the LVOT. RESULTS: Among 1,635 patients undergoing TAVR between 2007 and 2018, moderate or severe LVOT calcification was found in 407 (24.9%). Patients with moderate or severe LVOT calcification had significantly higher incidences of annular rupture (2.3% vs. 0.2%; p < 0.001), bailout valve-in-valve implantation (2.9% vs. 0.8%; p = 0.004), and residual aortic regurgitation (11.1% vs. 6.3%; p = 0.002). Balloon-expandable valves conferred a higher risk of annular rupture in the presence of moderate or severe LVOT calcification (4.0% vs. 0.4%; p = 0.002) as compared with the other valve designs. There was no significant interaction of valve design or generation and LVOT calcification with regard to the occurrence of bailout valve-in-valve implantation and residual aortic regurgitation. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate or severe LVOT calcification confers increased risks of annular rupture, residual aortic regurgitation, and implantation of a second valve. The risk of residual aortic regurgitation is consistent across valve designs and generations. (SWISS TAVI Registry; NCT01368250).

Valvular and Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of valvular and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: AF has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes after TAVR. However, the differential impact of valvular as opposed to nonvalvular AF has not been investigated. METHODS: In a retrospective analysis of a prospective registry, valvular AF was defined as AF in the setting of concomitant mitral stenosis or the presence of a mitral valve prosthesis. The presence of mitral stenosis was determined by pre-procedural echocardiography. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death or disabling stroke at 1 year after TAVR. RESULTS: Among 1,472 patients undergoing TAVR between August 2007 and June 2018, AF was recorded in 465 patients (31.6%) and categorized as nonvalvular in 376 (25.5%) and valvular in 89 (6.0%). AF scores including HAS-BLED, CHADS2, and CHA2DS2-VASc were comparable between patients with nonvalvular and valvular AF. The primary endpoint occurred in 9.3% of patients with no AF, in 14.5% of patients with nonvalvular AF (hazard ratio: 1.57; 95% confidence interval: 1.12 to 2.20; p = 0.009), and in 24.2% of patients with valvular AF (hazard ratio: 2.75; 95% confidence interval: 1.71 to 4.41; p < 0.001). Valvular AF conferred an increased risk for cardiovascular death or disabling stroke compared with nonvalvular AF (hazard ratio: 1.77; 95% confidence interval: 1.07 to 2.94; p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of valvular AF in patients undergoing TAVR increased the risk for cardiovascular death or disabling stroke compared with both no AF and nonvalvular AF. (SWISS TAVI Registry; NCT01368250).

Rehabilitation of gait in patients after total hip arthroplasty: Comparison of the minimal invasive Yale 2-incision technique and the conventional lateral approach.

The minimal invasive anterolateral Yale 2-incision approach for total hip arthroplasty aims minimizing damage to the muscles for faster recovery of function. Therefore the hypothesis was investigated, that during the rehabilitation process the Yale approach shows a faster return to natural gait than a conventional lateral approach. Nineteen patients had the Yale, 16 the conventional Bauer approach. Instrumented gait analysis was performed 3 days, 3 and 12 month post operatively. Velocity, cadence, step length, weight bearing, thorax lean, Trendelenburg limp, hip abduction moments, and hip muscle activation times were evaluated. Three days post-surgery a significantly greater loading of the treated limb and increased hip abduction moment were observed in the Yale group. In addition, the Yale group showed its greatest improvement in walking speed and step length between at 3 days and 3 months, whereas the conventional group showed an additional significant gain between 3 and 12 month to reach a similar walking speed as the Yale group. For all hip muscles investigated, only muscle tensor fasciae latae in the conventional group showed a significant increase in activation time between 3 days and 3 months. This study showed significantly faster return to natural gait in the Yale compared to the conventional approach, which could be biomechanically related to less impairment of abductor muscles in the Yale approach.