Relationship of tricuspid repair at the time of left ventricular assist device implantation and survival.

Purpose: Tricuspid regurgitation contributes to right ventricular failure (RVF) and is associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) treatment. However, whether tricuspid valve repair (TVR) at the time of LVAD implantation improves outcomes is not clear.

Methods: We identified all patients undergoing initial implantation of a long-term continuous-flow LVAD at our institution from March 2006 to August 2011.