Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation

Treatment

If you have no symptoms or mild symptoms of tricuspid valve regurgitation, you may not require any treatment or even need regular follow-ups with your doctor. However, if your condition and symptoms are more severe, your doctor may recommend medications, a minimally invasive procedure, or surgery to repair or replace the tricuspid valve. But ultimately, the treatment you’ll receive depends on the cause and severity of your condition.

• Medications – If your tricuspid valve regurgitation causes any symptoms, your doctor may prescribe medications to manage these symptoms and/or treat any underlying condition causing your tricuspid valve regurgitation. These medications may include the following:
  • Diuretics help remove sodium (salt) and extra fluids from your body
  • Anti-arrhythmic helps to control irregular heart rhythms
  • Medications to help manage heart failure
• Minimally invasive procedure – Depending on the severity of your tricuspid valve regurgitation, your doctor may recommend a minimally invasive procedure, called a transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR), instead of open-heart surgery to replace the tricuspid valve. In this procedure, your doctor inserts a thin, hollow tube (catheter) into a vein and guides it to the tricuspid valve using X-rays as a guide. The replacement valve is passed through the catheter into the existing biological valve. Another potential procedure to reduce the degree of valve regurgitation is the placement of a clip across the tricuspid valve leaflets that are not coming together in an effort to reduce how much blood is flowing backward. This is similar to what is performed in the Mitra Clip procedure. 
• Surgery – If your tricuspid valve regurgitation is severe, your doctor will likely recommend open-heart surgery to repair or replace the tricuspid valve.

Possible complications

Individuals with untreated severe tricuspid valve regurgitation may face a poor outlook, either from the actual condition itself or the complications from the underlying condition causing the regurgitation. Possible complications of tricuspid valve regurgitation may include the following:

• Heart failure – A condition in which the heart loses its ability to keep up with the amount of blood needed to supply the body and the other organs
• Atrial fibrillation (Afib) – A common heart rhythm condition where the two small upper chambers of the heart (called the atria) quiver instead of beating normally, which increases your risk for stroke.