Symptomatic heart disease in infants: Comparison of three studies performed during 1969-1987

We compare the data of three studies of hospitalized infants with cardiac disease performed between 1967 and 1987. The studies were from the New England Regional Infant Cardiac Program (1967-1974), the Brompton Hospital (1973-1982), and the Northern Great Plains Regional Cardiac Program (1982-1987). Considering differences in classification among the studies, the distribution of cardiac anomalies during the first year of life is similar among the three studies. Although about 30% of infants are admitted during the first week of life and nearly 40% between 3 and 6 months, the proportion of infants admitted between 6 and 12 months was larger (25%) in the latest than in the earliest study (10%). There were also differences in the distribution of the diagnoses at various ages, reflecting changes in the patterns of care during the three eras.