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.
Gatti
G
G
Division of Cardiac Surgery, Nursing Home Villa Torri, Bologna, Italy. cardiochirurgia@villatorri.it
Maffei
G
G
Lusa
A M
AM
Pugliese
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*