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Longevity in the setting of tetralogy of Fallot: survival to the 84th year

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2005

Leon M. Gerlis ,
Siew Yen Ho  and
Mary N. Sheppard
Leon M. Gerlis
Affiliation:
The Unit of Cardiac Morphology, Imperial College School of Medicine, at the National Heart and Lung Institute, and the Department of Histopathology, the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, London, UK
Siew Yen Ho
Affiliation:
The Unit of Cardiac Morphology, Imperial College School of Medicine, at the National Heart and Lung Institute, and the Department of Histopathology, the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, London, UK
Mary N. Sheppard
Affiliation:
The Unit of Cardiac Morphology, Imperial College School of Medicine, at the National Heart and Lung Institute, and the Department of Histopathology, the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, London, UK
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Abstract

A patient with tetralogy of Fallot suffered minimal disability until the age of 45 years, when she developed bacterial endocarditis complicated by hemiplegia. She remained well, but became markedly polycythaemic and, at the age of 50 years, underwent surgical correction to reduce the risk of further thromboembolic incidents. She continued in remarkably good health until her death from lobar pneumonia in her 84th year. We present the post-mortem findings, since as far as we are aware this is the longest recorded survivorship of a patient with tetralogy of Fallot.

Keywords

Cyanotic congenital heart diseasepulmonary stenosisgeriatrics
Type
Brief Report
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 14 , Issue 6 , December 2004 , pp. 664 - 666
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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