Uncorrected acyanotic tetralogy of Fallot decompensated in adulthood after an acute onset of malaria

Abstract

Tetralogy of Fallot is the most frequent cyanotic congenital heart disease. Usually, the condition is diagnosed and treated during the first year of life. Few reports of uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot reaching adulthood are found in the literature. Occasionally the pulmonary obstruction is relatively mild and the presentation is with minimal cyanosis. This particular situation is called "pink tetralogy" or "acyanotic tetralogy". For these adults surgical repair is still recommended, since the results of surgery are good and the operative risk is low. We report the case of a 55-year-old man with an uncorrected acyanotic tetralogy of Fallot diagnosed after right cardiac failure triggered by an acute onset of malaria.

Anaesthetising a cat with tetralogy of Fallot for non‐cardiac surgery

“…In animals with mild PS, the right ventricular hypertrophy is also mild, and blood shunting through the VSD might remain left to right for a long time, since the pressure stays higher on the left side of the heart. In these cases (so‐called ‘pink tets’), cyanosis is absent as there is no deoxygenated blood entering the systemic circulation 5 6…”