Percutaneous mitral and tricuspid edge-to-edge repair as a bridge therapy to heart transplantation in advanced heart failure secondary to human immunodeficiency virus: a case report

Background Patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) and severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) are not eligible for heart transplant due to high mortality risk. Percutaneous interventions as edge-to-edge repair of the mitral/tricuspid valves are a safe and effective therapy as a bridge for transplantation in patients who have contraindications to heart transplantations (HTs). Case summary A 44-year-old man with a previous diagnosis of infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was admitted at the emergency room for exertional dyspnoea. He was diagnosed with a decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), severe mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, and high probability of PH. He presented poor response to guided medical treatment, even after implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). He was listed for a cardiac transplant, but after right catheterization, he was not an ideal candidate for transplantation, so it was decided to undergo percutaneous mitral and tricuspid edge-to-edge repair as a bridge to transplantation. The post-operative course was uneventful, with significant improvement in New York Heart Association functional class. The patient underwent a successful heart transplant 10 months after the procedure. Discussion In patients with advanced HF due to HIV, HT is an adequate treatment option. When there are functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation and severe PH, despite optimal treatment according to current guidelines, percutaneous mitral and tricuspid repair therapy appears to be safe and effective for control of severe PH as a bridge measure for cardiac transplantation.