A 74-year-old unoperated univentricular heart: the oldest reported survival.

Univentricular heart is a rare congenital heart malformation. Nowadays prognosis is considered to be strictly linked to surgical intervention, and survival into late adulthood is unusual. In some patients native haemodynamic circulation balances pulmonary and systemic blood flow, allowing long-term survival without the need for surgery. We report the case of a 74-year-old man with a univentricular heart in natural history, and we discuss the factors that might contribute to his extraordinary long-term survival.