Cardiac failure and pulmonary hypertension secondary to renal arteriovenous malformation: a case report

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is usually associated with a low-cardiac-output state; however, a minority of these patients are characterized by a high-output cardiac state, described as a cardiac index of > 4 L/minute/m(2). Usually such circulation is associated with low systemic vascular resistance or arteriovenous malformation (AVM), resulting in depressurized circulation and a high-output cardiac state. Treating physicians should be cognizant of such pathology when investigating patients with heart failure. As an example, renal arteriovenous malformations are a rare vascular phenomena that are typically the result of iatrogenic, traumatic or congenital etiology. Generally, non-salient, most are detected as an incidental finding. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old Afro-Caribbean man with multiple comorbidities presented to the emergency department with a 6-month history of heart failure symptoms. Cardiac catheterization demonstrated a giant right renal AVM leading to a significant left-to-right, post-tricuspid shunt that was treated with transcatheter coiling. CONCLUSIONS: We present this case to emphasize the significance of a detailed workup in a patient with heart failure symptoms.