Tricuspid valve repair with the Cosgrove-Edwards annuloplasty system: early clinical and echocardiographic results.

BACKGROUND: The use of flexible rings for tricuspid valve repair is becoming popular. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Cosgrove-Edwards annuloplasty system for tricuspid regurgitation.

METHODS: From June 1998 to December 2000, 22 patients with significant secondary tricuspid regurgitation underwent tricuspid valve repair with the Cosgrove-Edwards annuloplasty system. All patients had disease of left-sided heart valves in addition to tricuspid disease; 34 concomitant procedures were performed. Twenty-one patients (95.5%) were in preoperative New York Heart Association functional class 3 or 4. The mean follow-up was 19.9 +/- 9.7 months.

RESULTS: There were two in-hospital nonvalve-related cardiac deaths (9.1%) and one noncardiac death after discharge (4.5%). All survivors were in New York Heart Association functional class 1 or 2; their tricuspid regurgitation was well controlled within grade 1+ and there was a significant reduction of systolic pulmonary artery pressure. Five (83.3%) of the 6 survivors with preoperative pulmonary hypertension had no or trivial residual tricuspid regurgitation.

CONCLUSIONS: The Cosgrove-Edwards annuloplasty system is very effective in the treatment of secondary tricuspid regurgitation, also in the presence of pulmonary hypertension.