Background: Evidence is limited as to whether outcomes differ between patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR) treated with tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) versus surgical tricuspid valve repair. We aimed to compare outcomes between these 2 approaches.
Methods: We analyzed the data on Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 to 99 years with TR who underwent T-TEER or isolated surgical repair between July 2016 and December 2020. The primary outcome was 2-year all-cause mortality. Other outcomes included in-hospital mortality and permanent pacemaker implantation as well as 2-year heart failure hospitalization and tricuspid valve reintervention. A propensity score matching weight analysis was used to adjust for potential confounders.
Results: A total of 1143 patients were included (409 T-TEER versus 734 surgery). The proportion of T-TEER cases increased from 2% in the third quarter of 2016 to 67% in the last quarter of 2020 among all isolated TR procedures. After adjustment for potential confounders, we found no evidence that 2-year all-cause mortality differs between patients treated with T-TEER versus surgical repair (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.63-1.13]). Patients treated with T-TEER experienced lower in-hospital mortality (2.5% versus 12.5%, P<0.001) and permanent pacemaker implantation rates (0.0% versus 12.7%, P<0.001) than those treated by surgical repair. At 2 years, we found no differences in heart failure hospitalizations, but tricuspid valve reinterventions were more frequent in the T-TEER group (subdistribution hazard ratio, 8.03 [95% CI, 2.87-22.48]).
Conclusions: Among Medicare beneficiaries with TR, the 2-year mortality rate was comparable between T-TEER and surgical repair. T-TEER showed advantages in perioperative outcomes, including lower in-hospital mortality and pacemaker implantation rates, whereas tricuspid valve reinterventions were more frequent in the T-TEER group. Further studies are necessary to refine indications, patient selections, and optimal timing for intervention with either treatment strategy.
Keywords: Medicare; catheters; heart failure; mortality; tricuspid valve.