Surgical management of tricuspid valve endocarditis in the current era: A review

- The majority of TV IE patients can be managed with medical therapy.
- Valve repair is preferred over replacement.
- Heart failure and complicated endocarditis are indications for surgery.
- There may be a role for early surgical intervention in a subgroup of patients.
- Larger studies are required to develop guidelines for management.

The incidence of isolated tricuspid valve infective endocarditis is increasing. Medical management is the mainstay of treatment but surgical intervention is required in a subset of patients. Surgical treatment options include valve excision and replacement or valve reconstruction. We searched PubMed and the Cochrane library to identify articles to be included in this review of surgical outcomes. References of selected articles were crosschecked for other relevant studies. Surgical management of tricuspid valve endocarditis can be achieved with satisfactory outcomes. However, the optimal indication and timing of surgery remain unclear, and the frequent association with intravenous drug use complicates management. Repair techniques are preferable though there is no clear evidence supporting one method over another.