A Case of Decompensated Heart Failure Due to Prosthetic Valve Dysfunction: Quick Diagnosis with Fluoroscopy

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with decompensated heart failure due to prosthetic heart valves consists of a challenging group in emergency clinics for both diagnosis and treatment. Despite the important role in diagnosis, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) remains unsatisfactory in many cases. Case Report: A 65-year-old female patient with decompensated heart failure and a history of valve replacement surgery 6 years ago for both mitral and aortic valves was admitted. The diagnosis of prosthetic valve dysfunction was successfully fixed using fluoroscopy, despite the fact that initial TTE was not adequate enough to assess valve function. Conclusion: In cases that TTE is not accessible or inadequate enough to assess valve function, fluoroscopy is a practical and quick method to rule out prosthetic valve dysfunction.