40 Long-term clinical outcome of functional tricuspid regurgitation

Abstract

Abstract Background Significant functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has been associated with higher risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Left-sided heart disease (LHD) is a potentially important confounder of this association because it is strongly linked to both TR and to clinical outcome. Methods We studied 5886 patients who were followed for a period of 10-years after the index echocardiographic examination. The relationship between TR severity and the composite endpoint of admission for heart failure or cardiovascular mortality was analyzed using a Cox model. An additional analysis included a propensity-score-matching. To simplify the modeling of the severity of LHD, we calculated an additive score summing the number of LHD components as follows: reduced LVEF, LA enlargement ≥moderate, aortic or mitral valve disease (regurgitation or stenosis ≥moderate) and PASP≥50 mmHg. Results Higher TR grade was associated with markers of LHD including left ventricular systolic dysfunction, valvular heart disease ≥moderate, left atrial enlargement and pulmonary hypertension (All P < 0.001). There was a significant interaction between TR and the presence of LHD with regard to the endpoint of heart failure in the model for admission for heart failure (P = 0.01) and the combined endpoint of heart failure and cardiovascular mortality (P = 0.02). In both models, moderate/severe TR was associated with higher risk for heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] 3.13; 95% CI 2.49–3.93, P < 0.0001) and the combined endpoint of heart failure or cardiovascular mortality (HR 2.61; 95% CI 1.33–5.13, P = 0.005) only in patients without LHD. The interaction plot (Figure) demonstrates that when LHD is present, TR is not a predictor of clinical outcome. Propensity score matching yielded 350 patient pairs, of which 88% had LHD. The HR for heart failure or cardiovascular mortality at 10-years was 0.78 (95% CI 0.56–1.08, P = 0.14) in the moderate/severe TR as compared with the trivial/mild TR. Conclusions Moderate or severe functional TR portends an increased risk for heart failure and cardiovascular mortality only when isolated, without concomitant LHD. Abstract 40 Figure. Interaction plot