USEFULNESS OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC DETERMINED TRICUSPID REGURGITATION INPREDICTING 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 ventricul ar (RV) dilation and hypokinesia.(1) The finding of TR may therefore p rovide an indirect measure of RV systolic dysfunction. The threefold p urpose of the present study of patients with severe heart failure refe rred for cardiac transplant evaluation was to determine if echocardiog raphically detected TR is (1) associated with RV systolic dysfunction, (2) predicts event-free survival, and (3) compares favorably in progn ostic value to peak VO2.