While the oldest patient described in Fallot's original paper was 36 years old,1 lately, survival of several patients2-5 into the seventh decade of life has been reported. Because of this prolonged survival, many of the degenerative diseases usually associated with advanced life may develop in these patients.
We are reporting a 68-year-old man with tetralogy of Fallot, confirmed by catheterization, who had an acute myocardial infarction and recovered uneventfully.
Patient Summary
For as long as the patient could remember, he had had mild dyspnea on exertion, clubbing of fingers and toes, and cyanosis of nail beds. No history of squatting was present. When he was in his teens, a heart murmur was first noted during an insurance examination. When the patient was 19 years old, a tonsillectomy and an appendectomy were performed without incident. He had worked as a welder until age 40, and since then had been