Abstract

Atrial flutter-sign, witness of or reason for congestive heart failure?

Author(s): Karolina Wrona-Kolasa, Damian Hudziak, Radoslaw Gocol, Wojciech Wrobel, Tomasz Darocha, Katarzyna Mizia-Stec

A patient with atrial flutter and symptoms of heart failure in NYHA Class III, was admitted with suspicion of tachycardiomyopathy. Diagnostics revealed a different, unexpected reason for congestive heart failure-constrictive pericarditis. During hospitalization, after being carefully prepared, the patient underwent pericardiectomy. As a result of the procedure, clinical improvement with reduction of symptoms of heart failure was achieved (NYHA I).

On the basis of the presented clinical case, we would like to emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in patient care and the fact that various types of arrhythmias, supraventricular arrhythmias in particular, often have a structural cause, the elimination of which allows to reduce or completely eliminate the reported symptoms.