The Unnatural History of Tetralogy of Fallot: Prospective Follow-Up of 40 Years After Surgical Correction.

The authors of this article aimed to describe survival and clinical outcomes beyond 30 years of follow-up after surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot. They found a survival of 72% after 40 years. Health status was comparable to the Dutch population. Factors that were associated with late mortality included: a prior shunt operation, low temperature during surgery and early postoperative arrhythmias. They conclude that although many patients needed reoperation or developed arrhythmias, long-term survival was good, as was health status.