Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement
When a damaged tricuspid valve causes significant symptoms, transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) may offer a minimally invasive treatment option. TTVR replaces the damaged valve without open-heart surgery.
At OSF HealthCare, specialized heart care teams use the EVOQUE System tricuspid valve replacement system to replace the tricuspid valve and help restore proper blood flow through the heart.
TTVR in Peoria
Patients with tricuspid valve disease have historically had limited access to advanced valve procedures outside major metropolitan areas. OSF HealthCare now offers TTVR in Peoria, bringing this advanced treatment to more patients than ever before.
OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center is the only health care facility in Downstate Illinois offering TTVR with the EVOQUE System. This gives patients in Central Illinois and surrounding communities access to this advanced heart valve treatment without traveling to Chicago.
What is tricuspid regurgitation?
Who is a candidate for TTVR?
TTVR may be an option if you have symptoms of severe tricuspid regurgitation and your provider determines that transcatheter valve replacement is appropriate.
Your care team may consider:
- The severity of your tricuspid regurgitation
- Your symptoms and how they affect daily life
- Your overall health and other medical conditions
- Your heart function
- The anatomy of your tricuspid valve
- Whether other treatment options are appropriate
Not everyone with tricuspid regurgitation is a candidate for TTVR. Your cardiologist and care team will evaluate your individual condition and discuss the treatment options that may be right for you.
How does EVOQUE TTVR work?
Before TTVR, your care team will evaluate your health and heart valve to determine whether the procedure is appropriate. You may undergo imaging and other tests as part of this evaluation.
During the procedure:
- An interventional cardiologist guides a catheter through a blood vein, typically in the groin, toward the heart.
- The EVOQUE System carries the replacement valve to the damaged tricuspid valve.
- The replacement valve expands and anchors within the existing tricuspid valve.
- Once the new valve is securely in place, the catheter is removed.
Because TTVR is performed through a blood vein rather than through open-heart surgery, it does not require a large incision in the chest.
Your care team will monitor you throughout the procedure and afterward to make sure your new valve is functioning properly.
Recovery and Results
Recovery after TTVR varies from person to person. Because the procedure does not require open-heart surgery or a large chest incision, recovery may involve less physical trauma than traditional surgical valve replacement.
After the procedure, your care team will monitor your heart and overall condition and provide instructions for medications, activity and follow-up care.
Your doctor will explain what to expect during your hospital stay and as you recover at home.
How is TTVR different from TriClip and other heart valve procedures?
All five available heart valve options are catheter-based valve procedures, but they treat different valves or use different approaches:
- TTVR replaces the tricuspid valve with a new valve.
- TriClip repairs the tricuspid valve by bringing its leaflets closer together to reduce blood flowing backward.
- MitraClip repairs the mitral valve in a similar method by bringing its leaflets closer together to reduce blood flowing backward.
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) replaces the aortic valve.
- Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement (TPVR) replaces the pulmonary valve.
Your cardiology team will determine which treatment is appropriate based on your valve condition, symptoms, overall health and other factors.
