Risk stratification for surgery in tricuspid regurgitation.

Abstract

Tricuspid valve (TV) surgery carries high mortality and morbidity, and risk-adjusted mortality has not changed. Patients who can withstand the perioperative period benefit from symptomatic improvement as the right ventricle remodels. Risk stratification for patients undergoing surgical intervention is critically important. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is a reliable and accurate mortality risk predictor given the liver and kidney dysfunction that accompany tricuspid regurgitation. Novel clinical risk calculators for isolated TV surgery have also been developed to further guide patients with projected surgical outcomes and reinforce timeliness to intervention.