Two women with Eisenmenger syndrome, aged 63 and 45 years, presented with different symptoms: the first patient had peripheral oedema, proteinuria, progressive fatigue and cyanosis and the other had increasing dyspnoea and blue lips. The first patient was successfully treated with diuretics but experienced a collum fracture that occurred after hypovolemic collapse caused by diuretic use. She was given sildenafil and underwent hip surgery with spinal anaesthesia 10 days later. In the following weeks, the patient was haemodynamically stable but then died suddenly; no autopsy was performed. The second patient was given oxygen therapy at home and bosentan. After 6 months the symptoms of dyspnoea resolved and her 6-minute walking distance increased from 453 to 512 m. The life expectancy of patients with congenital heart disorders such as Eisenmenger syndrome has improved dramatically, due in part to the efficacy of novel agents that inhibit endothelial-cell proliferation. With these advances, treatment of these patients is no longer restricted to tertiary-care centres. Therefore, community cardiologists, pulmonologists and internists should be aware of these congenital heart disorders and the available treatment options.