Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has successfully completed its first Tricuspid valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (T-TEER) using the TriclipTM G5 platform, marking another major milestone in the growth of Kingston’s structural heart program, and bringing a highly specialized treatment option closer to home for patients across southeastern Ontario.
The minimally invasive procedure is used to close a leak in the tricuspid valve — a condition that forces the heart to work harder and often leads to symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling and ultimately heart failure.
“This is an important advancement for patients in our region,” says interventional cardiologist Dr. Wael Abuzeid. “Many patients with severe tricuspid valve disease are older, frail, or not good candidates for traditional open-heart surgery. T-TEER gives us another option to help improve the patient’s quality of life through a much less invasive technique.”
The T-TEER procedure involves guiding a small clip through a vein in the leg up to the heart where it is used to reduce the leaking across the valve. Unlike open-heart surgery, the procedure does not require opening the chest or stopping the heart.
The team was also able to use four-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography (4D-ICE) for the first time during the procedure. This is an advanced type of imaging that provides real-time Doppler images of the heart, allowing the medical team to view the heart from any angle.
“These advancements allow us to offer patients a treatment that carries less risk and has a much faster recovery,” said heart surgeon Dr. Carolyn Teng.
“Many patients can return home the next day and resume their normal activities far sooner than they could after conventional surgery.”
KHSC’s first procedure was performed through a collaborative effort involving the hospital’s interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery programs and was completed in KHSC’s new hybrid operating room which uses state-of-the-art image guided technology.
“For some patients, untreated significant tricuspid regurgitation can become life-threatening,” said Dr. Teng. “Having access to minimally invasive therapies like TriClipTM allows us to provide treatment earlier and more safely.”
KHSC recently received funding approval from the Ontario Ministry of Health to begin offering the procedure. The hospital expects to complete approximately 10 cases in its first year, with plans to expand the program in the future.
The addition of TriClipTM builds on KHSC’s growing expertise in structural heart interventions, including TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) and MitraClipTM procedures. Together, these therapies are positioning KHSC as a leading centre for minimally invasive cardiac care.
“The field of structural heart intervention is evolving very quickly,” said Dr. Abuzeid. “Offering procedures like this means patients in southeastern Ontario can receive advanced care closer to home instead of travelling to larger urban centres. It also lays the groundwork for future innovations in transcatheter valve repair and replacement.”
Dr. Teng said the continued growth of KHSC’s cardiac program also strengthens the organization’s ability to attract top medial talent and train the next generation of health care providers.
“We have built an incredibly strong cardiac program here in Kingston,” she said. “Innovation is an important part of how we continue improving care for patients, and to ensure we recruit the most skilled physicians and learners to come work and learn at KHSC. I can confidently say we are building one of the country’s premier cardiac programs that rivals any other hospital in Canada.”
