Iatrogenic clubbing of the fingers

We report on a 39-year-old female who had been operated on for an atrial septal defect at the age of 14 years. On operation the inferior vena cava was iatrogenically misdirected into the left atrium. The cyanotic patient, in functional group IV of the NYHA classification, with polyglobulia and clubbing of the fingers was successfully reoperated after 25 years.