Effects of ivabradine on the prevention of intradialytic hypotension in a dialytic patient with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

A 65-year-old man with a history of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and renal failure was admitted due to difficulty in fluid volume control during haemodialysis. He had frequent episodes of intradialytic hypotension (IDH) with presyncope during haemodialysis despite using a vasopressor agent. Before haemodialysis, his blood pressure was 130-150/60-70 mm Hg, and his heart rate was 80-100 beats/min. There were no specific causes of IDH. For refractory IDH, he was treated with oral ivabradine (2.5 mg two times per day), which resulted in reduced heart rate and decreased occurrence of IDH. This is the first report to describe a dialysis case with HFrEF presenting with an elevated heart rate and impaired fluid management as manifested by recurring IDH, which improved after ivabradine treatment. Ivabradine therapy may assist in increasing stroke volume by lowering the sinus heart rate, thus resulting in the prevention of IDH.