SOUTH FLORIDA, USA – As heart valve disease continues to impact an ageing population, new solutions are emerging to address tricuspid regurgitation (TR) — a condition increasingly recognised for its potential life-threatening condition. Often silent in its early stages, TR has been linked to serious long-term complications and disproportionately affects adults over age 65, as well as patients with atrial fibrillation or heart failure.

TR can go undetected until symptoms become severe. Warning signs include fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling in the legs or abdomen, heart palpitations, and unexplained weight gain. Early detection is crucial to prevent serious complications and preserve heart function.

Dr Khalili Houman, an interventional cardiologist at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute in South Florida, is at the forefront of this transformation. With TR affecting more than 1.6 million Americans — particularly among Hispanic and African American populations — Dr Houman and his structural heart team are pioneering the use of catheter-based interventions to offer new hope to high-risk patients once considered untreatable by surgery.

“We are entering a new era of structural heart innovation,” says Dr Houman. “Through evolving catheter-based therapies, we can treat patients more safely, more effectively, and much earlier in the course of the disease.”

Featured breakthroughs

•Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) – A minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery, for faster recovery and fewer complications.

•Orthotopic valve replacement – Replicates native valve function in select high-risk individuals.

•Heterotopic caval valve implantation – An emerging strategy for symptomatic relief in patients unsuitable for conventional repair.

These innovative interventions are supported by promising trial data and refined procedural techniques, allowing for improved patient selection and better outcomes. Memorial emphasises the multidisciplinary role of the structural heart team — interventionalists, imaging specialists, anaesthesiologists, and heart failure experts — working collaboratively to tailor treatment plans and seamlessly integrate these technologies into routine clinical practice.

With the senior population projected to double by 2060, the burden of TR is only expected to grow.