Extracardiac abnormalities in infants with congenital heart disease.

Extracardiac anomalies (ECA) occur in 25% of infants seen during the first year of life for significant cardiac disease. Often the ECA are multiple and one third of the affected infants have some established syndrome. In infants with endocardial cushion defect, patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, malpositions, tetralogy of Fallot, and complex coarctation ECA occur in 25% or more of the cases. The most frequent ECA are in the musculoskeletal system or associated with a specific syndrome. The presence of an ECA significantly increases the mortality in infants with CHD.