Recurrent atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia treated with percutaneous ablation in a 75-year old patient undergoing intermittent hemodialysis

A 75-year old man with long-term arterial hypertension was diagnosed in 1998 with stage 3 chronic kidney disease due to hypertensive nephropathy. Since May 2004 the patient has been treated with intermittent hemodialysis. Since 1998 he has been hospitalized several times because of palpitations in the course of paroxysmal tachycardia with narrow QRS complexes. Initially, class I antiarrhythmic agents were administered; afterwards therapy with beta-adrenolytics was introduced. Because of the ineffectiveness of monotherapy, beta-adrenolytic therapy was combined with amiodarone; however, side effects of this treatment in a form of drug-induced bradycardia appeared. During an invasive electrophysiological investigation, a typical recurrent atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) was repeatedly released. Subsequently performed percutaneous ablation resulted in effective modification of the slow pathway. During 25 months of follow up after the procedure, recurrence of AVNRT was not observed. Effectiveness of ablation and low risk of adverse effects in non-dialyzed patients encourage us to recommend this method of AVNRT treatment also in patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis.