heart and blood vessel disorders
Arteriovenous Fistula
Symptoms of Arteriovenous Fistula
Whencongenital arteriovenous fistulasare near the surface of the skin, they may appear swollen and warm. is not treated, a large volume of blood flows under high pressure from the artery into the vein network. Vein walls are not strong enough to withstand such high pressure, so the walls stretch and the veins enlarge and bulge (sometimes resembling Varicose Veins ). In addition, blood flows more freely into the enlarged veins than it would if it continued its normal course through the arteries. As a result, blood pressure can fall, sometimes causing fatigue, light-headedness, or, rarely, fainting spells. To compensate for this fall in blood pressure, the heart pumps more forcefully and more rapidly, thus greatly increasing its output of blood. Eventually, the increased effort may strain the heart, causing Heart Failure (HF) . The larger the fistula, the more quickly heart failure can develop, causing shortness of breath and swelling of the legs. Rarely, a large fistula may divert enough blood from the affected arm or leg (steal syndrome) and cause numbness, pain, and cramping, bluish or grayish discoloration, and in severe cases, skin sores. When present, the skin discoloration may be difficult to appreciate on dark skin. 