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Objectives: This study sought to analyze patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR) diagnosed in the community setting (Olmsted County) by Doppler echocardiography to define the prevalence, characteristics, and implications of clinically significant (greater or equal to moderate) TR., Background: The prevalence, cause distribution, and significance of TR are mostly unknown., Methods: All adult residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who underwent clinically indicated Doppler echocardiography between 1990 and 2000 were evaluated for presence of greater or equal to moderate TR. The characteristics and outcome of TR carriers was then analyzed., Results: During the study period, 417 community residents were diagnosed with greater or equal to moderate TR corresponding to an U.S. age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of 0.55% with 95% confidence interval (0.50 to 0.60). TR adjusted prevalence was higher in women (p < 0.01) and strongly linked to age (p < 0.0001). Isolated TR (without significant comorbidities, structural left valve disease, pulmonary hypertension, or overt cardiac cause) represented 8.1% of patients with greater or equal to moderate TR. Isolated TR adjusted for age, sex, ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, and Charlson comorbidity index independently predicted higher mortality (adjusted risk ratio: 1.68; 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 2.60; p = 0.03) for qualitative definition. Mortality in patients with greater or equal to moderate isolated TR was higher than in the matched cases with trivial TR (p = 0.0014; matching for age, sex, atrial fibrillation, ejection fraction, comorbidity index). Only 2.6% of patients ever had tricuspid valve surgery during follow-up., Conclusions: Clinically significant (greater or equal to moderate) TR is common in community residents diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography and increases with age. Isolated TR is associated with excess mortality, thus TR represents an important public health problem., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is associated with worse outcomes after mitral valve replacement (MVR). With limited data available on long-term outcomes, we reviewed our experience of MVR in presence of MAC., Methods: A retrospective review of 1,710 consecutive patients who underwent MVR between January 2000 and December 2015 was performed. Patients with isolated primary MVR (n = 496) were included, whereas patients with concomitant cardiac surgery (n = 1,068), previous MVR (n = 110), and mitral valve (MV) endocarditis (n = 36) were excluded. MV calcification was classified as MAC present in anterior/posterior annulus and vertically at the level of leaflets/subvalvular apparatus. A conservative approach towards annular debridement was followed., Results: Our sample's mean age was 64.4 ± 14.1 years, and included 279 (56%) women. MV calcification was observed in 169 (34%) patients with MAC in 115 (23%). Older age, higher ejection fraction, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, dialysis, and previous aortic valve surgery were associated with increased prevalence of MAC. Patients with MV calcification had higher stroke rate (p = 0.040), patients with anterior leaflet and commissural calcification had higher pacemaker implantation (p = 0.010, p = 0.001, respectively), and patients with circumferential MAC had higher postoperative dialysis (p = 0.006). Operative mortality was not significantly different (p = 0.466) between MAC (n = 1, 1%) and non-MAC (n = 9, 2%) patients. MAC was associated with late mortality (unadjusted hazard ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.20 to 2.18), though on multivariable analysis age, diabetes, dialysis, hypertension, previous aortic valve surgery, previous coronary artery bypass grafting, and MVR with a bioprosthetic valve were found to be independent risk factors for mortality whereas MAC was not., Conclusions: A conservative approach to treat MAC achieves satisfactory results. Patients with MAC have significant comorbidities contributing to a worse survival, though MAC in itself is not a risk factor for mortality., (Copyright © 2019 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The treatment of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and concomitant mitral regurgitation can be challenging and is associated with reduced long-term survival. It is unclear how mitral valve repair versus replacement affects subsequent outcome. Therefore, we conducted this study to understand the predictors of mortality and to delineate the role of mitral valve repair versus replacement in this high-risk population., Methods: From 1993 to 2007, 431 patients (mean age, 70 ± 9 years) with ischemic cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 45%) and significant ischemic mitral regurgitation (>2) were identified. Patients (44) with concomitant mitral stenosis were excluded from the analysis. A homogeneous group of 387 patients underwent combined coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve surgery, mitral valve repair in 302 (78%) and mitral valve replacement in 85 (22%). Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed on the entire cohort, and the predictors of mortality were identified in 2 distinct risk phases. Furthermore, we specifically examined the impact of mitral valve repair versus replacement by comparing 2 propensity-matched subgroups., Results: Follow-up was 100% complete (median, 3.6 years; range, 0-15 years). Overall 1-, 5-, and 10-year survivals were 82.7%, 55.2%, and 24.3%, respectively, for the entire group. The risk factors for an increased mortality within the first year of surgery included previous coronary artery bypass grafting (hazard ratio = 3.39; P < .001), emergency/urgent status (hazard ratio = 2.08; P = .007), age (hazard ratio = 1.5; P = .03), and low left ventricular ejection fraction (hazard ratio = 1.31; P = .026). Thereafter, only age (hazard ratio = 1.58; P < .001), diabetes (hazard ratio = 2.5; P = .001), and preoperative renal insufficiency (hazard ratio = 1.72; P = .025) were predictive. The status of mitral valve repair versus replacement did not influence survival, and this was confirmed by comparable survival in propensity-matched analyses., Conclusions: Survival after combined coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve surgery in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 45%) and mitral regurgitation is compromised and mostly influenced by factors related to the patient's condition at the time of surgery. The specifics of mitral valve repair versus replacement did not seem to affect survival., (Copyright © 2011 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)