Prognostic Impact of Severe Atrial Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation in Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Abstract

Background and Aim: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an epidemic disease with a significant global health impact. Atrial functional tricuspid regurgitation (AF-TR) is a more recently acknowledged complication of AF. The main purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of severe AF-TR in patients with AF, and its determinants. Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, we included AF patients admitted consecutively to a tertiary clinical hospital between January 2018 and February 2020, irrespective of cause of hospitalization. Patients with organic TR, significant pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular ejection fraction < 50%, those with implanted cardiac devices and those with in-hospital mortality were excluded. Severe TR was defined according to current guidelines. Median follow-up time was 34 (28–39) months. Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Results: We included 246 AF patients, with a mean age of 71.5 ± 9.4 years. 86.2% had AF-TR, while 8.1% had severe AF-TR. Mortality rate was 8.5%. Right atrial diameter (p = 0.005), systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) (p = 0.015) and NT-proBNP (p = 0.026) were independent predictors for the presence of severe valvular dysfunction. In multivariable survival analysis, severe AF-TR, was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (HR 5.4, 95% CI 1.1–26.2, p = 0.035). Conclusion: Severe AF-TR was an independent predictor of mortality in AF patients, while mild/moderate AF-TR apparently had no impact on prognosis.

Early and mid-term outcomes of tricuspid valve surgery in patients with functional tricuspid regurgitation induced by atrial fibrillation

“…AF-induced TR usually originates from a dilated and posteriorly displaced TV annulus, accompanied by RA enlargement and RV eccentric dilatation ( 15 , 16 ). Several studies have shown that severe AF-induced TR is a significant predictor of mortality in patients with AF ( 17 - 20 ). Although more attention has recently been drawn to isolated FTR and its prognosis, surgical treatment is uncommon, and there is still a paucity of research on the surgical outcomes of AF-induced TR ( 21 ).…”