UCI Health introduces transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement to region

UCI Health introduces transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement to region

Procedure expands options for minimally invasive heart treatment

Orange, Calif. - Cardiologists with UCI Health have performed the region's first transcatheter tricuspid valve replacements, expanding one of California's leading cardiovascular programs and offering patients more minimally invasive options for managing their heart health.

"UCI Health is committed to offering patients the latest technology in its structural heart program," said Dr. Pranav M. Patel, chief of the Mary & Steve Wen Cardiovascular Division in the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

"Bringing this advance in the standard of care for those suffering from heart valve failure is an example of that dedication."

Dr. Antonio H. Frangieh, medical director of the UCI Health structural heart program, recently implanted transcatheter tricuspid valves in two patients: a 75-year-old from Carlsbad and an 85-year-old from Costa Mesa. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device in February 2024. So far, four UCI Health patients have benefited from the procedure, with excellent outcomes.

About tricuspid valve disease

According to the American Heart Association, tricuspid valve disease is an often underrecognized clinical problem that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

In patients older than 75, 4% of the population has at least moderate tricuspid regurgitation (TR), in which the tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart does not close properly allowing blood to flow backward.

Unfortunately, patients will often present late in their disease with severe right-sided heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and life-limiting symptoms that have few durable treatment options. Traditionally, the only treatment for tricuspid valve disease has been medical therapy or surgery.

Treating most complex heart conditions

UCI Health, one of California's largest academic health systems, is equipped with the expertise and technology necessary to treat some of the most complex heart conditions and seriously ill patients, including tricuspid valve disease.

Frangieh and the entire cardiology services team, including cardiothoracic surgeons, imaging cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists and others collaborate to identify the best treatment approaches for each patient. They offer a full range of heart valve disease treatment, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), mitral edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER), and now transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR).

The team is also committed to serve as a high-level of care center, providing treatment for complex and high-risk valvular heart disease cases, extending the benefits of minimally invasive valve replacement to increasingly older or sicker patients, something many cardiac centers limit. Recently, Frangieh successfully used TAVR to treat aortic valve failure in a 101-year-old Orange County resident and naval veteran.

"Our goal was to increase survivability and, more importantly, to improve his quality of life," Frangieh said.

UCI Health cardiology services can be accessed at 11 UCI Health locations, including the Tsai Ya Au Heart & Vascular Pavilion at UCI Medical Center in Orange and the new Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care in Irvine. Interventional cardiologists treat conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, peripheral vascular disease and left atrial appendage closure.

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About UCI Health

UCI Health, one of California's largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Recognized as a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.