 Given that liver AVMs generally cause high @-@ output cardiac failure , the emphasis is on treating this with diuretics to reduce the circulating blood volume , restriction of salt and fluid intake , and antiarrhythmic agents in case of irregular heart beat . This may be sufficient in treating the symptoms of swelling and breathlessness . If this treatment is not effective or leads to side effects or complications , the only remaining option is liver transplantation . This is reserved for those with severe symptoms , as it carries a mortality of about 10 % , but leads to good results if successful . The exact point at which liver transplantion is to be offered is not yet completely established . Embolization treatment has been attempted , but leads to severe complications in a proportion of patients and is discouraged . 
