A two-day-old, full-term male infant was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit with heart failure. He was found to be non-dysmorphic, with no clinical evidence of sepsis. Physical examination was significant for hepatomegaly, active precordium, pansystolic murmur and hypotension requiring ionotropic support. A cranial bruit was detected on auscultation. Chest radiography revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary oedema due to heart failure. Electrocardiogram and two-dimensional echocardiography were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a large vein of Galen malformation, extensive cerebral ischaemia and multiple cerebral infarcts. This case illustrates the importance of auscultation of the cranium to rule out vein of Galen malformation, a potential cause of high-output cardiac failure in neonates in the absence of other common causes of heart failure.