Objectives: To assess the proportion and pattern of extracardiac birth defects in children with congenital heart defects referred to a tertiary care institute.
Methods: Cross-sectional observational study from January 2010 to June 2011.
Results: Out of 560 children with congenital heart defects, 98 (17.5%) had extracardiac birth defects. Fifty-six had multiple congenital defects; 36 were syndromic cases and 6 had laterality defects. A total of 386 extracardiac birth defects (103 major and 283 minor) were documented, with craniofacial and skeletal birth defects being the commonest.
Conclusion: Extracardiac birth defects are common in children with congenital heart defects.