Early Tricuspid Valve Surgery for Heart Failure in Congenital Heart Disease

In adults with transposition of the great arteries, the right ventricle sometimes has to pump blood to the whole body.

The right ventricle was not built to pump blood to the whole body.

Over time, many patients with transposition of the great arteries develop severe tricuspid regurgitation and worsening heart function.

Patients with moderate to severe tricuspid valve leakage but only mild to moderate ventricular dysfunction had better outcomes after surgery.

If the right ventricle was already severely weak, tricuspid valve surgery did not make a difference in outcomes.

In patients with transposition of the great arteries, earlier tricuspid valve surgery can improve outcomes.