Usefulness of echocardiographic determined tricuspid regurgitation in predicting event-free survival in severe heart failure secondary to idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy or to ischemic cardiomyopathy

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is often a consequence of right ventricular (RV) dilation and hypokinesia.(1) The finding of TR may therefore provide an indirect measure of RV systolic dysfunction. The threefold purpose of the present study of patients with severe heart failure referred for cardiac transplant evaluation was to determine if echocardiographically detected TR is (1) associated with RV systolic dysfunction, (2) predicts event-free survival, and (3) compares favorably in prognostic value to peak VO2.