Use of a pericardial patch to bridge the conduction tissue during tricuspid valve replacement.

Tricuspid valve replacement carries a risk of causing complete heart block. To reduce this risk, a technique was developed to bridge the conduction system during prosthetic valve insertion in the tricuspid position. This technique, in which a pericardial patch is used to bridge the triangle of Koch, was performed successfully in 4 patients who underwent tricuspid valve replacement for Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve.