Terminal right heart failure due to complex congenital cardiac disease successfully managed by home peritoneal drainage

A man, aged 32, who had undergone surgical correction of complex congenital cardiac disease, had chronic severe right heart failure. Increasing reliance on diuretics led to deteriorating renal function, and he was rejected as a candidate for cardiac transplantation. By inserting a Tenckhoff catheter, and training him to drain his ascites at home, we achieved a dramatic improvement in both his cardiac and renal function. As far as we can ascertain, this is the first time this technique has been used for such a patient. We discuss the mechanisms of improvement, and suggest that other such patients with congenital cardiac disease might benefit from similar management.