Complex congenital heart diseases among children presenting for cardiac surgery in a tertiary health facility in Enugu; South-East Nigeria. A rising trend.

Background: Complex cardiac anomalies are a set of associated heart structural anomalies requiring some adaptive mechanism to maintain life. Objectives: This is to determine pattern and prevalence of common complex cardiac anomalies among children presenting for cardiac surgery in Enugu. Methodology: The children that present for cardiac surgery in our center over a six-month period were admitted and rescreened using a standardized echocardiographic method, information on biodata, oxygen saturation and 2D echo diagnosis were recorded in a proforma. Results: A hundred and one (101) children with different structural heart diseases presented for cardiac surgery, 53 females and 48 males, 99 (98%) had congenital heart defects (49 cyanotic and 50 acyanotic). Complex cardiac anomalies were noted among 49 and 50 were non-complex, 6 (12.2%) acyanotic, and 43 (87.8%) cyanotic complex P