Henry's Journal

Well, it's finally happening. After three years I will finally be getting a fix for my leaky tricuspid valve. On May 6 doctors at the University of Virginia Advanced Valve Center will use a catheter approach to insert the Tric Bicaval Valve system as part of a medical trial to evaluate its efficacy. I will be the first at UVA to receive this new device. Previously I was found ineligible for the Triluminate , Lux Plus and Evoque tricuspid valve repairs due to the fact that I have two ICD leads that run through my tricuspid.
The procedure should take 2 to 4 hours and with any luck I'll get to go home the next day!
Onward and upward with science!

Just checking in. My journey toward getting a tricuspid valve repair/replacement continues. While I have severe TVR it’s complicated by the presence of 2 CRT-D leads that pass through the valve. One went bad several years ago and was “abandoned “ when the new one was installed. I have been turned down for both the Abbott TRILUMINATE trial and the Edwards Scientific Evoque trial because of the issue with the leads. In December the FDA and University of Virginia IRB approved me for compassionate care to receive a Jenscare Lux Plus valve which supposedly will accommodate the leads and I was scheduled for the procedure at the end of January. Suddenly everything was cancelled because the Lux Plus manufacturer submitted a request to begin a U.S. trial which stopped all compassionate use approvals. So, I may or may not get an update In July.
Ah, the joys of modern medicine are without number….

I Just learned that I haven't been accepted for the Triluminate tricuspid valve repair trial due to the placement of one of my ICD leads. Major Bummer! Unclear what the next steps, if any, will be. Probably a consult with my regular cardiologist to see if there are any additional options.

I am being considered as a possible candidate to participate in the Abbott Labs Triluminate Pivotal trial and would like to hear from any others who have been through the process. A quick history...in 1998 I was diagnosed with severe cardiomyopathy. Thanks to good drugs, four life-saving CRT-Ds and a couple of ablations am still around. Last November an echo showed severe tricuspid valve disease. I was referred to the interventional cardiology team at INOVA Heart and Vascular. I have now had a heart cath, a transesophageal echo and just last week a two hour regular echo. My next appointment is with the team's thoracic surgeon. I will probably know in May if my case will be submitted to Abbott for consideration. Never a dull moment in cardio-land.