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The aim of the work was to study the pattern of congenital circulatory system malformations in the newborns in Upper Silesia, Poland (N = 355), and to compare it with the data known from the literature, predominantly with genetically very distant Chinese population from Hong Kong (N = 744). There were significantly more boys (about 60%) than girls (about 40%) in both groups. Much higher rate of the heart defects with pulmonary outflow obstruction was found in Hong Kong neonates (37.8%) than in the Polish ones (16.1%). Left ventricular outflow obstruction malformations were more common in Chinese group (22.7%) than in Polish one (14.1%), as well. On the other hand, Polish neonates were significantly more often admitted to cardiological hospital because of left-to-right shunts (37.7%) as compared to Chinese population (15.5%). The rate of complete transposition of great arteries was similar in both studied groups (12.1% in Poland versus 12.4% in Hong Kong). So called common mixing malformations were not significantly more often found in Polish newborns (12.1%) than in Hong Kong ones (8.3%). It is concluded that it significant race dependent distribution difference of congenital heart malformations exists between Polish (Silesian) and Chinese (Hong Kong) newborn populations. On the other hand the pattern of congenital heart malformations found in Polish newborns seems to be not very different from these ones, known from literature, described in the USA or in Europe.

The mortality of children with transposition of the great arteries treated at the Institute of Pediatrics in 1966-1973 was assessed. The number of deaths among 52 observed children, 5 days to 8 years old, was analysed according to the sex and age of the children treated during 8 subsequent years (Fig. 1). It was shown that this congenital heart malformation occurred three times more frequently among boys than among girls, but mortality was the same in both groups examined (Table I). The period of 8 years was divided into 2 four-year periods because the surgical treatment of that condition was introduced only after 1970. According to the authors' observations all children who were treated conservatively during the first period (1966-1970) have died. During the second period (1970-1973) this malformation of the heart was diagnosed twice as often, in 35 cases, and there were only 21 deaths among these children (Table II). During that period the diagnosis of this malformation greatly improved, because in half of the cases observed the proper diagnosis was made in the first two weeks of life. This is a positive fact, because the possibility of successful septostomy is greater if the surgery is performed on younger infants.