ABSTRACT
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is present in 0.7"-0.8" of live births and the vast majority of these patients are diagnosed and treated in infancy or childhood. The advances in surgical techniques for palliation of complex cardiac anomalies and the improvement in technology and postoperative care have produced survival rates for all patients with CHD in excess of 85". CHD in the adult is now more prevalent than ever because of the rapid advances in surgical and medical interventions in the paediatric population. Patients referred for cardiac catheterisation may be severely ill or have various comorbidities and recognition of these conditions and appropriate anticipation of potential complications is vitally important. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) represents a congenital abnormality that is highly prevalent in the general population. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are defined as defects in the terminal capillary loops which cause thin-walled vascular sacs that bypass alveolar tissue and shunt un-oxygenated blood directly into the left atrium.
