Influence of Atrial Fibrillation on Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation in Patients With HeartMate 3

BACKGROUND: Functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) can occur secondary to atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of AF on functional TR and cardiovascular events is uncertain in patients with left ventricular assist devices. This study aimed to investigate the effect of AF on functional TR and cardiovascular events in patients with a HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively reviewed 133 patients who underwent HeartMate 3 implantation at our center between November 2014 and November 2018. We excluded patients who had undergone previous or concomitant tricuspid valve procedures and those whose echocardiographic images were of insufficient quality. The primary end point was death and the presence of a cardiovascular event at 1 year. We defined cardiovascular event as a composite of death, stroke, and hospital readmission due to recurrent heart failure and significant residual TR as vena contracta width ≥3 mm. In total, 110 patients were included in this analysis. Patients were divided into 3 groups: no AF (n=51), paroxysmal AF (n=40), and persistent AF (PeAF) (n=19). Kaplan‐Meier analysis showed that patients with PeAF had the worst survival (no AF 98%, paroxysmal AF 98%, PeAF 84%, log‐rank P=0.038) and event‐free rate (no AF 93%, paroxysmal AF 89%, PeAF 72%, log‐rank P=0.048) at 1 year. Thirty‐one (28%) patients had residual TR 1 month after left ventricular assist device implantation. Patients with residual TR had a significantly poor prognosis compared with those without residual TR (log‐rank P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: PeAF was associated with increased mortality, cardiovascular events, and residual TR compared with no AF and paroxysmal AF.