Abstract
Background: We evaluated the early clinical outcomes of tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TAP) with the Tri-Ad annuloplasty ring for functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Methods: From January 2015 to March 2017, 36 patients underwent TAP with a Tri-Ad ring for functional TR. To evaluate the early clinical outcomes of TAP with the Tri-Ad ring, we conducted a propensity score-matched analysis comparing the Tri-Ad and $MC^3$ tricuspid annuloplasty rings (n=34 in each group). The follow-up duration was $11.0{\pm}7.07$ months. Results: There was 1 case of operative mortality (2.8%) and no cases of late mortality. Postoperative complications occurred in 15 patients (41%), including acute kidney injury in 6 patients (16%), bleeding requiring reoperation in 4 patients (11%), and low cardiac output syndrome in 4 patients (11%). There were no ring-related complications, such as atrioventricular block or ring dehiscence. The TR grade decreased significantly (from $2.03{\pm}1.06$ to $1.18{\pm}0.92$, p<0.01), as did the systolic pulmonary artery pressure (from $43.53{\pm}13.84$ to $38.00{\pm}9.72mm\;Hg$, p=0.03). There were no cases of severe residual TR, but moderate TR was observed in 3 patients, all of whom had severe TR preoperatively. Severe preoperative TR was also associated with moderate in the univariate analysis (p<0.01). In the propensity score-matched analysis comparing the Tri-Ad and $MC^3$ rings, there was no significant difference in early clinical outcomes. Conclusion: TAP with the Tri-Ad ring corrected functional TR effectively and provided good early clinical and echocardiographic results without ring-related complications. However, severe preoperative TR was associated with moderate or severe residual TR in the immediate postoperative period. A follow-up study is necessary to confirm the stability of this procedure.