Chronic Ovine Model of Right Ventricular Failure and Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation.

The pathophysiology of severe functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) associated with right ventricular dysfunction is poorly understood, leading to suboptimal clinical results. We set out to establish a chronic ovine model of FTR and right heart failure to investigate the mechanisms of FTR. Twenty adult male sheep (6-12 months old, 62 ± 7 kg) underwent a left thoracotomy and baseline echocardiography.