Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is defined as incompetence of the tricuspid valve (TV), which produces the movement of blood flow from the right ventricle (RV) to the right atrium during systole. Pathological TR is functional in nearly 80–90 percent of cases, secondary to volume and/or pressure overload in the RV. Surgical intervention of TR is associated with mortality rates of 10 percent. Transcatheter therapy interventions (TTI) can be an alternative for severe TR. The aim of this study is to assess effectiveness and safety of TTI.

A systematic review was carried out. The scientific literature search was performed in major medical databases. Studies analyzing the efficacy and safety of the devices were included. Outcomes related with mortality rates, TR volume reduction, echocardiographic findings and adverse events were analyzed. The methodological quality of the studies was analyzed with the Canadian Institute of Health Economics Quality Appraisal Checklist.

Nine studies comprising 557 patients were included (two first-in-human studies, one retrospective, five single arm prospective studies and one international registry). The studies were small with short follow up. The outcome of procedural success ranged from 80 to 100 percent. Mortality rates at 30 days were lower than 5 percent. Improvements in reduction of TR, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE), heart failure symptoms or quality of life scores were observed in all studies.

TTI for moderate-severe TR show significant reduction of annulus dimension, improvements in heart failure symptoms and quality of life, which are maintained in mid-term follow up. TTI present lower rates of major serious adverse events. No differences were observed between different TTI devices in terms of procedural success, mortality or safety. Randomized studies comparing TTI with optimal medical therapy are needed to confirm the preliminary clinical impact in patients with severe TR, and define aspects such as patient selection, risk factors associated with procedural success or mortality rates.