Improvement of endorgan function following tricuspid edge-to-edge repair

Abstract Background/Introduction Subjects with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) often suffer from impaired endorgan function. The potential to improve endorgan function is an important goal of treatment. Purpose To assess baseline endorgan function and changes in organ function following transcatheter edge-to-edge repair with the TriClip device in subjects with severe TR from the TRILUMINATE Pivotal randomized controlled trial. Methods Right heart catheterization was required prior to enrollment; medication history was collected. Changes in biomarkers, including MELD-XI, GGT, eGFR, BUN, and TR and KCCQ overall summary score were assessed at baseline and 12-month follow-up for all enrolled subjects. A 15% improvement in biomarker levels was considered clinically relevant. The odds of achieving a 15% improvement in biomarkers between baseline and 12-month follow-up was compared between the Device and Control groups (presented as OR [95% CI]). Results A total of 572 subjects were enrolled and randomized. At baseline, subjects had elevated levels of GGT (83.0±87.7 U/L) and MELD-XI score (10.3±5.2), low eGFR (56.7±21.0 mL/min/1.73m2), and elevated BUN (29.5±16.7 mg/dL). Nearly 90% of subjects were on loop diuretics, with approximately 50% taking these in combination with a thiazide or potassium-sparing diuretic. The average diuretic dosage was 71 mg (furosemide equivalent). Most subjects had normal left ventricle ejection fraction (only 5% with LVEF <40%). Subjects had well-managed blood pressure (systolic: 122±13 mmHg, diastolic: 69±10), slightly elevated central venous pressures (12±6 mmHg), systolic pulmonary artery pressures (40±10 mmHg) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures (15±4 mmHg), and normal transpulmonary gradients (11±4 mmHg). The odds of achieving a 15% improvement in liver and renal function was higher in TriClip patients compared to control: MELD-XI score (1.79 [1.22, 2.63]), GGT (1.83 [1.21, 2.77]), and eGFR (1.81 [1.18, 2.77]) - Fig 1. The favorable changes in organ function observed were also reflected when stratifying subjects by residual TR severity: The odds of a 15% biomarker improvement favored subjects with moderate or less residual TR for MELD-XI score (2.05 [1.39, 3.00]), GGT (1.91 [1.26, 2.90]), and eGFR (1.83 [1.20, 2.80]) compared with subjects who had severe or worse residual TR. Lastly, improvement in these biomarkers also favored subjects with a 15-point or greater improvement in KCCQ compared with subjects with less than a 15-point KCCQ improvement. Conclusions Use of TriClip in subjects with severe tricuspid regurgitation was associated with improvement in kidney and liver function, and this improvement was associated with reduction in the severity of TR. These data provide the first objective evidence of the physiologic impact of TR reduction obtained in a randomized clinical trial.