Death certificate reports of cardiovascular disorders in children: Comparison with diagnoses in a pediatric cardiology registry

Abstract

The diagnosis of cardiovascular disease listed in a registry of a Pediatric Cardiology practice were compared with conditions listed upon the death certificate of 301 individuals. Over 130 separate physicians had signed the death certificates. Of 227 children who had some disease of the cardiovascular system, some notation of this appeared on the certificates of 187 (82.4%). For the 206 in whom the cardiovascular disorder was judged as probably contributing significantly to death, the frequency was 186 (90.3%). In only 81 of those 206 (39.3%) however, was the major cardiac defect present specifically noted on the certificate. An erroneous diagnosis of a specific cardiovascular disorder was noted on the certificate of nine (who had another congenital heart defect). The data suggest that while death certificate reports may be useful for following total trends in deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease in children, they are unlikely, because of their incompleteness, to be useful for to provide data on the mortality resulting from specific cardiovascular disorders.