Clinical outcomes after tricuspid surgery: The role of previous cardiac surgery

Background The aim of our study was to assess the outcomes of surgical treatment for severe tricuspid regurgitation according to whether cardiac surgery had been performed before the tricuspid valve intervention. Methods Between 1996 and 2013, 201 consecutive patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation underwent tricuspid surgery at our center. Patients were classified according to whether or not they had undergone previous cardiac surgery, which 33% of the sample had. Perioperative as well as long-term morbidity and mortality were analyzed. Results Mean patient age was 62.3 years. 32.8% underwent suture annuloplasty, 41.3% underwent ring annuloplasty, 15.4% received a bioprosthesis, and 10.4% received a mechanical prosthesis. There were no significant differences in perioperative mortality between the group that had not undergone previous cardiac surgery and the group that had (12.7% vs. 17.9%, respectively; p = 0.32). The long-term mortality rate (median follow-up time: 53 months) was 43.3%. Long-term survival curves showed no significant differences between the two groups ( p = 0.884), and previous cardiac surgery was not a predictive factor for long-term mortality (hazard ratio = 1.211; p = 0.521). Conclusion In a series of patients who underwent tricuspid valve surgery, no significant differences were observed in perioperative mortality or in long-term survival according to whether or not subjects had undergone previous cardiac surgery.