Long-term outcomes of tricuspid valve repair or replacement in patients with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device.

Summary: Imagine a mechanical heart pump called an LVAD. Sometimes, when doctors place this pump into a patient's chest, they also fix a leaky heart valve called the tricuspid valve at the same time. Doctors looked at past patients to see if fixing this valve during the pump surgery was helpful.

They found that patients who got the valve fixed lived longer after their first year of recovery. They also had much less leaking in their heart valves over time. Both groups of patients had to go back to the hospital about the same amount. Overall, fixing the leaky valve during the heart pump surgery is a very good idea that helps patients live longer!