Safety and efficacy of total thoracoscopic surgery for patients with tricuspid regurgitation and reduced right ventricular function after left heart valves replacement: a retrospective comparative study

Tricuspid valve surgery is the standard treatment for tricuspid valve disease refractory to pharmacologic therapy. However, patients with tricuspid regurgitation after previous left heart valves replacement with reduced right ventricular (RV) function are at greater risk of surgery. We compared the clinical outcomes of tricuspid valve replacement in this subgroup of patients through mini-thoracotomy and conventional full-sternotomy approach.

We identified 44 patients at our institution with tricuspid regurgitation and reduced right ventricular function after left heart valves replacement who underwent either total thoracoscopic tricuspid valve replacement (T-TVR) or conventional tricuspid valve replacement (C-TVR) from December 2014 and May 2021. Patient clinical characteristics, hospital course, and postoperative changes in RV function were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

Baseline characteristics between T-TVR (n = 25) and C-TVR (n = 19) were comparable including a high incidence of liver dysfunction and renal insufficiency. There were no statistically differences between the two groups in terms of hospital mortality (8.0% vs. 21.1%, P = .211). Patients in the T-TVR group had less total drainage volume (201.60 ± 77.05 ml vs. 614.74 ± 182.31 ml, p < .001), required fewer postoperative blood product transfusions, and had a lower total length of hospital stay (15(15–16) vs. 16(14–17) days, P = .019) compared to the C-TVR group. T-TVR was associated with better and faster recovery of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricle fractional area change (RVFAC) (adjusted β = 0.154, 95% CI: 0.037 to 0.271, p = .010 and adjusted β = 0.003, 95% CI: 0.000 to 0.005, p = .024; respectively) within the first 3 months postoperatively compared with C-TVR.

T-TVR represents a viable alternative to current surgical strategies as a potentially sicker cohort demonstrated similar hospital mortality compared to conventional surgery, with reduced length of hospital stay, fewer blood transfusions, and more favorable in promoting RV functional recovery in the early period. Future prospective, randomized-controlled trials with longer follow-up durations are needed to validate these findings.