Chronic Ovine Model of Right Ventricular Failure and Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation

The pathophysiology of severe functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) associated with right ventricular dysfunction is poorly understood, leading to suboptimal clinical results. We set out to establish a chronic ovine model of FTR and right heart failure to investigate the mechanisms of FTR. Twenty adult male sheep (6-12 months old, 62 ± 7 kg) underwent a left thoracotomy and baseline echocardiography. A pulmonary artery band (PAB) was placed and cinched around the main pulmonary artery (PA) to at least double the systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP), inducing right ventricular (RV) pressure overload and signs of RV dilatation. PAB acutely increased the SPAP from 21 ± 2 mmHg to 62 ± 2 mmHg. The animals were followed for 8 weeks, symptoms of heart failure were treated with diuretics, and surveillance echocardiography was used to assess for pleural and abdominal fluid collection. Three animals died during the follow-up period due to stroke, hemorrhage, and acute heart failure. After 2 months, a median sternotomy and epicardial echocardiography were performed. Of the surviving 17 animals, 3 developed mild tricuspid regurgitation, 3 developed moderate tricuspid regurgitation, and 11 developed severe tricuspid regurgitation. Eight weeks of pulmonary artery banding resulted in a stable chronic ovine model of right ventricular dysfunction and significant FTR. This large animal platform can be used to further investigate the structural and molecular basis of RV failure and functional tricuspid regurgitation.