Summary

The authors describe a case of platypnoea orthodeoxia syndrome in an 83-year-old man with a fenestrated atrial septal defect and severe coronary artery disease. The patient had been admitted to hospital six times in the previous year with acute breathlessness, attributed to paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The patient’s symptoms resolved completely following surgical repair of the defect and coronary artery bypass grafting.