Remission of High-Output Heart Failure after Surgical Repair of 30-Month Arteriovenous Femoral Fistula: Case Report

Authors

  • Gani Bajraktari
  • Nehat Rexhepaj
  • Aurora Bakalli
  • Gazmend Shaqiri
  • Eshref Osmani
  • Lulzim Vokrri
  • Shpend Elezi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1532/HSF98.20041172

Abstract

We present a 15-year-old male patient who was admitted to our hospital because of breathlessness and palpitations at minimal physical effort (New York Heart Association class II). The patient had a history of an abdominal and left thigh firearm wound that was surgically treated 30 months earlier. Auscultation over the left femoral groin region revealed a systolo-diastolic murmur. X-ray examination of the chest demonstrated significant cardiomegaly. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed an enlargement of 4 cardiac chambers, as well as significant mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Vascular ultrasound of the femoral artery and vein confirmed the diagnosis of a traumatic arteriovenous fistula. The patient underwent surgical correction of the fistula, after which the symptoms subsided rapidly. Follow-up echocardio-graphy performed 2 months after surgical repair showed a substantial reduction of cardiac size and a nearly complete absence of valvular regurgitations. This case highlights the importance of the recognition of arteriovenous fistulas as a cause of unexpected heart failure and demonstrates that the condition may improve substantially and rapidly after fistula correction.

References

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Published

2005-03-25

How to Cite

Bajraktari, G., Rexhepaj, N., Bakalli, A., Shaqiri, G., Osmani, E., Vokrri, L., & Elezi, S. (2005). Remission of High-Output Heart Failure after Surgical Repair of 30-Month Arteriovenous Femoral Fistula: Case Report. The Heart Surgery Forum, 8(2), E118-E120. https://doi.org/10.1532/HSF98.20041172

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