Congenital Malformations of the Heart and the Great Vessels

WHEN epidemiologic consideration is given to the problem of congenital malformations of the heart and great vessels, 3 basic questions arise: (1) how significant is the problem in a community? (2) what is the probability of being born with a cardiovascular defect? and (3) to what extent is life expectancy modified by the presence of a congenital cardiovascular defect? The first question can be answered by an enumeration of all known cases expressed as a prevalence rate; the second by calculating the incidence of defects at birth; and the third by establishing a life table. Answers to all 3 questions have been obtained for the City and County of San Francisco and are set down in this report. The data came from 3 major sources: the San Francisco cardiac registry, the city's vital statistics, and estimates of population migration. Cardiac Registry and Calculation of Prevalence Rate Since 1946, the names