OBJECTIVE:

To identify the proportion of major structural noncardiac anomalies identified with congenital heart defects (CHDs).

STUDY DESIGN:

Records of infants with CHDs in the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program who were born during the period 1968 through 2005 were classified as having isolated, syndromic, multiple CHD (ie, having an unrecognized pattern of multiple congenital anomalies or a recognized pattern of multiple congenital anomalies of unknown etiology), or laterality defects. Frequencies of associated noncardiac anomalies were obtained.

RESULTS:

We identified 7984 live-born and stillborn infants and fetuses with CHDs. Among them, 5695 (71.3%) had isolated, 1080 (13.5%) had multiple, 1048 (13.1%) had syndromic, and 161 (2.0%) had laterality defects. The percentage of multiple congenital anomalies was highest for case with atrial septal defects (18.5%), cardiac looping defects (17.2%), and conotruncal defects (16.0%), and cases with atrioventricular septal defects represented the highest percentages of those with syndromic CHDs (66.7%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Including those with syndromes and laterality defects, 28.7% of case infants with CHDs had associated major noncardiac malformations. Thus, infants with CHDs warrant careful examination for the presence of noncardiac anomalies.

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