April 2026

CARDIOVASCULAR

TTVR DEMONSTRATES BETTER OUTCOMES THAN MEDICAL THERAPY

Featuring: Charles Davidson, MD
Patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) who underwent nonsurgical tricuspid valve replacement showed significant improvements in overall cardiovascular health and quality of life within 30 days post-procedure, according to a recent study published in JAMA.

As the first study of its kind to report safety and effectiveness of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) in a commercial clinical setting, the study demonstrates the treatment’s scalability to a broader population. Charles Davidson, MD, was senior author and a PI of the Northwestern Medicine clinical site.

An Evolving Landscape for TTVR
In February 2024, the FDA approved nonsurgical TTVR as a treatment option for TR. The FDA’s approval was the result of a clinical trial, of which Dr. Davidson was also a co-author, that found that TTVR significantly improved outcomes in patients with TR compared to clinical surveillance that included standard care alone.  

A Look at Real-World TTVR Outcomes
Dr. Davidson and his team evaluated 30-day outcomes, TR reduction and changes in health status in over 1,000 patients with severe TR who underwent TTVR.  

The valve was successfully implanted in 98.4% of patients. At 30 days, the investigators found that:
  • Residual mild or less TR was achieved in 97.7% of patients.  
  • All-cause mortality was 3.1%.
  • Stroke was 0.2%.
  • Bleeding was 7.9%.
  • The need for a new cardiac implantable electronic device among patients without a preexisting device was 15.9%.  

​What’s Next
Dr. Davidson highlighted the need for a standardized design framework for future clinical trials to determine the durability of the TTVR device and how outcomes compare to surgery in patients over time.​

This article was originally published in the Feinberg School of Medicine News Center on April 30, 2026.

​Other High-Impact Research Publications Featuring Dr. Davidson
Charles J. Davidson, MD, Executive Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Professor of Cardiology

Dr. Davidson was senior author of this study published in JAMA.

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