Background
We aimed to analyze recent infant and neonatal mortality from congenital heart defects (CHD) in Costa Rica, a middle‐income country where CHD mortality was above expectations.
Methods
A descriptive analysis of infant and neonatal mortality rates from CHD (IMR‐CHD and NMR‐CHD) during 2000–2019 was performed, according to province, sex, specific CHD, and sub‐period, using data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses. We used joinpoint regression to identify any calendar‐year where a significant change in trend occurred; the average annual percent change (AAPC) was determined. Using Poisson regression, marginal means and mortality ratios (MR) for IMR‐CHD and NMR‐CHD by sub‐period (2000–2006–referent‐, 2007–2013, 2014–2019) were estimated and compared using Wald's chi‐square tests (α ≤ .05).
Results
During 2000–2019, CHD accounted for 12% of overall infant mortality. IMR‐CHD and NMR‐CHD decreased linearly over the study period (AAPC = −3.4; p < .01). IMR‐CHD decreased by 41%, from 13.6 per 10,000 in 2000–2006 (13.4% of infant mortality) to 8.1 per 10,000 in 2014–2019 (10% of infant mortality) (MR = 0.59; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.52–0.68). NMR‐CHD decreased by 38%, from 7.9 per 10,000 in 2000–2006 (11.1% of neonatal mortality) to 4.9 per 10,000 in 2014–2019 (7.9% of infant mortality) (MR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.52–0.68). Male presented significantly higher NMR‐CHD. The main causes of mortality (2014–2019) were total anomalous pulmonary venous connections, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and double inlet ventricle.
Conclusions
IMR‐CHD, NMR‐CHD, and their proportional contribution to mortality by all causes and by birth defects decreased significantly, demonstrating that all improvements implemented in the last decades have yielded favorable results.