Longevity in the setting of tetralogy of Fallot: survival to the 84th year.
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.
Gerlis
Leon M
LM
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.
Ho
Siew Yen
SY
Sheppard
Mary N
MN
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008875:Middle Aged; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery