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Background: Smartphone manufacturers offer mobile health monitoring technology to their customers, including apps using the built-in camera for heart rate assessment. This study aimed to test the diagnostic accuracy of such heart rate measuring apps in clinical practice. Methods: The feasibility and accuracy of measuring heart rate was tested on four commercially available apps using both iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. 'Instant Heart Rate' (IHR) and 'Heart Fitness' (HF) work with contact photoplethysmography (contact of fingertip to built-in camera), while 'Whats My Heart Rate' (WMH) and 'Cardiio Version' (CAR) work with non-contact photoplethysmography. The measurements were compared to electrocardiogram and pulse oximetryderived heart rate. Results: Heart rate measurement using app-based photoplethysmography was performed on 108 randomly selected patients. The electrocardiogram-derived heart rate correlated well with pulse oximetry (r ¼ 0.92), IHR (r ¼ 0.83) and HF (r ¼ 0.96), but somewhat less with WMH (r ¼ 0.62) and CAR (r ¼ 0.60). The accuracy of app-measured heart rate as compared to electrocardiogram, reported as mean absolute error (in bpm AE standard error) was 2 AE 0.35 (pulse oximetry), 4.5 AE 1.1 (IHR), 2 AE 0.5 (HF), 7.1 AE 1.4 (WMH) and 8.1 AE 1.4 (CAR). Conclusions: We found substantial performance differences between the four studied heart rate measuring apps. The two contact photoplethysmography-based apps had higher feasibility and better accuracy for heart rate measurement than the two non-contact photoplethysmography-based apps.

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Patients currently undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve therapy are mostly high risk, with a functional etiology and very severe central regurgitation, and do not have severely impaired RV function. Initial results suggest that transcatheter tricuspid valve therapy is feasible with different techniques, but clinical efficacy requires further investigation.

TAVR with the 29-mm S3 valve beyond the recommended range by overexpansion is safe, with acceptable PVL and pacemaker rates. Larger LVOTs and more eccentric annuli were associated with more PVL. Longer term follow-up will be needed to determine durability of S3 TAVR in this population.

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Background: Scarce data exist on patients with right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) or pulmonary hypertension (PH) undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention. This study aimed to determine the early and midterm outcomes and the factors associated with mortality in this group of patients. Methods: This subanalysis of the multicenter TriValve (Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Therapies) registry included 300 patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation with RVD (n=244), PH (n=127), or both (n=71) undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention. RVD was defined as a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion <17 mm, and PH as an estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure ≥50 mm Hg. Results: Mean age of the patients was 77±9 years (54% women). Procedural success was 80.7%, and 9 patients (3%) died during the hospitalization. At a median follow-up of 6 (interquartile range, 2–12) months, 54 patients (18%) died, and the independent associated factors were higher gamma-glutamyl transferase values at baseline (hazard ratio, 1.02 for each increase of 10 u/L [95% CI, 1.002–1.04]), poorer renal function defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate <45 mL/min (hazard ratio, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.22–4.33]), and the lack of procedural success (hazard ratio, 2.11 [95% CI, 1.17–3.81]). The grade of RVD and the amount of PH at baseline were not found to be predictors of mortality. Most patients alive at follow-up improved their functional class (New York Heart Association I–II in 66% versus 7% at baseline, P <0.001). Conclusions: In patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation and RVD/PH, transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention was associated with high procedural success and a relatively low in-hospital mortality, along with significant improvements in functional status. However, about 1 out of 5 patients died after a median follow-up of 6 months, with hepatic congestion, renal dysfunction, and the lack of procedural success determining an increased risk. These results may improve the clinical evaluation of transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention candidates and would suggest a closer follow-up in those at increased risk. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03416166.