Mortality with congenital heart defects in England and Wales, 1959–2009: exploring technological change through period and birth cohort analysis

Death rates attributable to CHDs have fallen dramatically with advances in paediatric cardiac surgery and intensive care, largely due to decreased mortality in infants aged under 1 year. Initially, mortality in later childhood rose as infant deaths fell, suggesting death was delayed beyond infancy. Children born within the last 20 years experienced lower mortality throughout childhood.