What is an often-seen symptomatic complication of an AVM related to excessive blood flow?

High-output heart failure is a common symptomatic complication associated with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) due to the abnormal connections between arteries and veins, which facilitate excessive blood flow. In an AVM, blood that would typically pass through capillaries and undergo necessary oxygenation instead bypasses this system, leading to an increased volume of blood returning to the heart.

As a result, the heart has to pump a significantly larger volume of blood to accommodate this excessive flow, which can lead to an increase in cardiac output. Over time, the heart may become overwhelmed by this demand, resulting in high-output heart failure. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, fatigue, and palpitations, which are indicative of the heart's struggle to keep up with the increased workload.

This condition emphasizes the importance of addressing AVMs, as the resulting hemodynamic changes not only impact the affected body region but also the overall cardiovascular system. Other complications might arise from the AVM itself, but high-output heart failure is specifically tied to the volume overload on the heart caused by excessive blood flow through the AVM.