Tricuspid valve repair/replacement surgery is associated with high mortality rates, particularly among those with comorbidities. A transcatheter approach is a minimally invasive technique that may be a potential treatment option for those with tricuspid regurgitation (TR).
Buğan et al. (2022) performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the feasibility of orthotopic TTVR devices, echocardiographic, functional improvements, and mortality rates following replacement in individuals with significant tricuspid valve regurgitation. The efficacy and safety outcomes for TTVR for significant tricuspid valve regurgitation were the improvements in NYHA functional class, 6-minute walking distance, all-cause death, and periprocedural and long-term complications. In addition, a random-effect meta-analysis was performed comparing outcomes before and after TTVR. Nine studies with 321 individuals were included in this study. The mean age was 75.8 years, and the mean European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II score was 8.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 6.1–10.3). Severe, massive, and torrential tricuspid valve regurgitation was diagnosed in 95% of individuals (95% CI, 89%–98%), and 83% (95% CI, 73%–90%) of individuals were in NYHA functional class III or IV. At a weighted mean follow-up of 122 days, NYHA functional class (risk ratio, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.11–0.35; P<0.001) and 6-minute walking distance (mean difference, 91.1 m; 95% CI, 37.3–144.9 m; P<0.001) improved. The prevalence of severe or greater tricuspid valve regurgitation was reduced after TTVR (baseline risk ratio, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.10–0.36; P<0.001). In total, 28 individuals in the trial (10%; 95% CI, 6%–17%) died.
Pooled analyses demonstrated nonsignificant differences in hospital and 30-day mortality and greater than 30-day mortality than predicted operative mortality (risk ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.41–2.59; P=0.95, risk ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.69–2.81; P=0.35, respectively). The authors concluded that TTVR could be an emerging treatment option for people with severe TR who are not eligible for transcatheter repair or surgical replacement because of high surgical risk. Limitations include a potential for bias as the analysis only included single-arm interventional studies case series, and no RCTs. Moderate heterogeneity was found in the consistency of results. In addition, there are no specific guideline recommendations for inclusion criteria for TTVR; therefore, this meta-analysis is limited by the lack of uniformity in the definition of procedural success. Further research including RCTs with a consistent definition of procedural success are needed to determine the effectiveness of TTVR in individuals with significant tricuspid valve regurgitation.
The Edwards EVOQUE Tricuspid Valve Replacement System received FDA approval through the premarket approval process on February 1, 2024. This device is indicated for the improvement of health status in individuals with symptomatic severe TR despite optimal medical therapy, for whom tricuspid valve replacement is deemed appropriate by a heart team.
The TRISCEND (Edwards EVOQUE Tricuspid Valve Replacement: Investigation of Safety and Clinical Efficacy After Replacement of Tricuspid Valve With Transcatheter Device) study, which was a single-arm prospective study, underwent an interim analysis of 176 individuals who received the Edwards EVOQUE Tricuspid Valve Replacement system (discussed by Kodali et al., 2023). The inclusion criteria were individuals with greater than or equal to moderate TR despite receiving medical therapy and who were deemed appropriate to receive a TTVR by a Heart Team. The results of the study observed significant improvements in clinical (TR reduction, increased stroke volume and cardiac output), functional (NYHA Class improvement), and quality-of-life outcomes (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire [KCCQ]). The improvements were sustained for 1 year after replacement.
The key limitation of the study is the lack of comparison to a control, which is being completed in the TRISCEND II Pivotal Trial. Investigators also describe the need for a larger, more generalizable cohort as their participant population was highly selected. The investigators also report that there was incomplete echocardiographic data, highlighting the challenges of tricuspid valve imaging. Lastly, this is an interim analysis and the not all participants had reached 1-year follow-up and were not included.
TRISCEND II (NCT04482062) is an ongoing, open label, prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled pivotal clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the EVOQUE system with optimal medical therapy (OMT) compared to OMT alone in the treatment of individuals with at least severe TR. Subjects will be followed at discharge, 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and annually through 5 years. An interim analysis was performed to assess safety outcomes using EVOQUE, which was included in the FDA approval. Many of the outstanding questions as result of the limitations from TRISCEND I are being investigated in TRISCEND II Pivotal Trial.
Hahn et al. (2024) published the 1-year results of the open-label TRISCEND II trial. A total of 400 individuals were randomly assigned (267 treatment; 133 control). The primary outcome was a hierarchical composite of death from any cause, implantation of a right ventricular assist device or heart transplantation, post index tricuspid-valve intervention, hospitalization for heart failure, an improvement of at least 10 points in the score on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary (KCCQ-OS), an improvement of at least one NYHA functional class, and an improvement of at least 30 minutes on the 6-minute walk distance. This outcome was analyzed by a win ratio. At 1 year, the win ratio (WR) statistically favored the treatment group (WR, 2.02; P<0.001). The authors concluded that the statistical significance was primarily driven by improvements in symptoms and quality of life, although annualized rate of hospitalization, severe bleeding, and new pacemakers were all greater in the treatment group.
In 2025, Arnold et al. analyzed the quality of life metrics of the TRISCEND II beyond that of Hahn et al. KCCQ-OS scores as a whole, and each individual domain, were significantly greater among individuals receiving the treatment compared to controls at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year. A similar result is reiterated several times with differing statistical tests throughout the analysis. An exploratory analysis of various subgroups revealed that baseline TR severity, 6-minute walk distance, and right ventricular fractional area change had significant interaction with the treatment.
TRANSCATHETER EDGE-TO-EDGE REPAIR FOR TRICUSPID VALVE REGURGITATION (T-TEER)
Tricuspid valve repair/replacement surgery is associated with high mortality rates, particularly among those with comorbidities. A transcatheter approach is a minimally invasive technique that may be a potential treatment option for those with TR. T-TEER could be proposed as an effective treatment for high surgical risk individuals who are nonresponsive to optimal medical therapy.
The TriClip G4 System received FDA approval through the premarket approval process on April 1, 2024. This device is indicated for improving quality of life and functional status in individuals with symptomatic severe TR despite optimal medical therapy, who are at intermediate or greater risk for surgery and in whom transcatheter edge-to-edge valve repair is clinically appropriate and is expected to reduce TR severity to moderate or less, as determined by a multidisciplinary heart team.
In 2023, Sorajja et al. reported results of the TRILUMINATE pivotal trial. TRILUMINATE was a multicenter prospective randomized trial of percutaneous tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for severe TR that was conducted in the United States, Canada, and across various European countries using the TriClip device. Individuals with symptomatic severe regurgitation were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either T-TEER or medical therapy (control). The primary endpoint was a hierarchical composite that included death from any cause or tricuspid-valve surgery; hospitalization for heart failure; and an improvement in quality of life as measured with the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), with an improvement defined as an increase of at least 15 points in the KCCQ score (range, 0–100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life) at the 1-year follow-up. The severity of TR and safety were also assessed.
A total of 350 individuals were enrolled; 175 were assigned to each group. The mean age was 78 years, and 54.9% were women. The results for the primary end point favored the T-TEER group (win ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.06–2.13; P=0.02). The incidence of death or tricuspid-valve surgery and the rate of hospitalization for heart failure did not appear to differ between the groups. The KCCQ quality-of-life score changed by a mean (± standard deviation [SD]) of 12.3±1.8 points in the T-TEER group, as compared with 0.6±1.8 points in the control group (P<0.001). At 30 days, 87.0% of the individuals in the T-TEER group and 4.8% of those in the control group had TR of no greater than moderate severity (P<0.001). T-TEER was found to be safe; 98.3% of the individuals who underwent the procedure were free from major adverse events at 30 days. The authors concluded that tricuspid T-TEER was safe for individuals with severe TR, reduced the severity of TR, and was associated with an improvement in quality of life; however, the components of the primary end point showed no significant differences in all-cause mortality, need for tricuspid valve surgery, or hospitalizations for heart failure between the device and control groups. The end point was driven entirely by change in KCCQ score between the two groups.
In 2025, Kar et al. reported the 2-year outcomes of the TRILUMINATE trial. The prespecified 2-year outcomes were (1) recurrent heart failure hospitalization and (2) freedom from all-cause mortality, tricuspid valve surgery, and tricuspid valve intervention. Individuals were allowed to switch from the control arm to the intervention arm at 1 year. This crossover severely limits interpretation of the results and introduces selection bias. Nevertheless, annualized recurrent heart failure hospitalization was significantly decreased among those who were randomly assigned to the intervention arm compared to those who were randomly assigned to the control arm at 2 years. Additionally, those who were randomly assigned to the intervention arm had greater freedom from the composite all-cause mortality, tricuspid valve surgery, and tricuspid valve intervention compared to those who were randomly assigned to the control arm at 2 years. However, this result is driven primarily through tricuspid valve intervention (i.e., crossover), while all-cause mortality and tricuspid valve surgery were similar between the groups at 2 years.
Also in 2025, Donal et al. published an investigator-initiated randomized trial of TriClip in Belgium and France. The trial enrolled 300 individuals (152 randomly assigned to T-TEER and OMT, 148 randomly assigned to OMT), with very similar inclusion/exclusion criteria as the TRILUMINATE trial. The primary outcome was a composite endpoint comprising NYHA class, patient global assessment (PGA), and occurrence of major cardiovascular events (i.e., cardiovascular heart failure or death) at 1 year. Individuals were considered improved, unchanged, or worse. "Improved" required no major cardiovascular events and a favorable change in NYHA and/or PGA improved to less than 4. "Unchanged" required no major cardiovascular events and no change in NYHA and PGA. "Worse" required a major cardiovascular event, a worsened NYHA, or PGA greater than 4. Rates of improvement were statistically significantly greater among the intervention arm compared to optimal medical therapy (74.1% vs. 40.6%, respectively), primarily driven by NYHA and PGA. There were no differences in hospitalizations or cardiovascular death. Overall, the conclusions of this trial confirm the results found in the TRILUMINATE pivotal trial.
von Bardeleben et al. (2023) reported on the 2-year follow-up results and outcomes of the prospective, multicenter, international European and US single-arm TRILUMINATE trial evaluating the safety and performance of the T-TEER using the TriClip implant. A reduction in heart failure hospitalization and general hospitalization was more pronounced at 2 years than reported previously, with 84% and 49%, respectively. TR reduction at 30 days was unchanged up to 2 years in 50% of subjects and improved in 25%. Although TR grade worsened in 25% of subjects, the majority remained at moderate or less. There was favorable remodeling of RV size and function in the setting of sustained reductions in TR, despite more variable dilatation of the tricuspid annulus and right atrium in the disease process. In this setting, all-cause (and cardiovascular) mortality was low at 30 days, 1 year, and 2 years, respectively, with 0%, 7.3%, and 18.7% (15.3%), respectively. Quality-of-life improvements and 6-minute walk-test improvements of 60 meters were sustained over 24 months. Limitations of this study include its unblinded, nonrandomized, and lack of sham device design. Additionally, this arm of the TRILUMINATE trial had a limited number of participants and the investigators indicate that most of the enrolled individuals had preserved left ventricular function, limiting the generalizability of the results, which may vary among different heart failure cohorts. The authors note that further randomized GDMT-controlled trials to establish the application of this new transcatheter repair in clinical practice are warranted and are ongoing.
In 2024, Nickenig et al. reported the 3-year outcomes of the single-arm TRILUMINATE study. Of the 98 individuals enrolled in the trial, 48 continued in the trial through 3 years. A reduction to moderate or less TR was achieved in 79%, NYHA III/IV was observed in 19% (compared to 76% at baseline), and KCCQ score improved from baseline (though decreased from 1 year). All-cause mortality was 27% through 3 years.
Bocchino et al. (2021) performed a meta-analysis to assess the pooled clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of different isolated TTVR strategies for moderate or greater TR in participants who were ineligible for surgery. Fourteen observational studies (n = 771) were included. At a mean follow-up of 212 days, 209 individuals (35%) were in NYHA functional class III or IV compared with 586 participants (84%) at baseline. Six-minute walking distance significantly improved by a mean 50 meters. A total of 147 participants (24%) showed severe or greater TR after isolated transcatheter tricuspid valve repair compared with 616 (96%) at baseline. The included studies are at a high risk of bias due to several factors: small sample size, single-center focus, retrospective design, and/or lack of controls, randomization, and blinding. Further results from prospective RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.