Unsuccessful transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for a patient with right heart failure and portal hypertension

A 60-year-old women with a history of congenital pulmonary valve stenosis developed right heart failure, cardiac cirrhosis and end-stage renal disease requiring renal replacement therapy. Cirrhosis was complicated by portal hypertension, resulting in intractable gastro-intestinal bleedings despite optimal treatment with beta-blockers and endoscopic band ligation. Because of fears for worsening right heart failure, a decision for placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was initially turned down. However, as intractable bleeding problems persisted and caused heavy transfusion needs, TIPS was ultimately performed as a rescue procedure. Although TIPS successfully reduced the hepatic venous pressure gradient from 16 mmHg to 4 mmHg, portal pressure remained high at 14 mmHg because of persisting right heart failure with elevated central venous pressure. Hepatic encephalopathy soon developed after TIPS placement and culminated in multi-organ failure after another episode of gastro-intestinal bleeding. At this point, the family of the patient decided to withdraw care and the patient died subsequently. This case illustrates how important it is to diagnose and optimally treat right heart failure before cardiac cirrhosis with its impending complications emerges. Although TIPS may effectively treat complications of portal hypertension in the context of cirrhosis, persisting right heart failure may abrogate its beneficial effects.