[The Spanish registry of organization, resources and activities in pediatric cardiology]

We present the findings of the registry of activities and resources of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Cardiology in 2002, with the objective of providing a national reference for professionals and entities involved in the study and treatment of congenital heart defects.

Data were retrospectively collected through questionnaires sent from the Spanish Society of Pediatric Cardiology to the heads of pediatric cardiology units with medical and surgical activities, as well as to all the members of the Society and those of the Pediatric Cardiology Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Thirty-eight centers, including 17 national centers with medical and surgical activities, completed the questionnaire. Human resources consisted of 110 cardiologists, 43 surgeons and 12 residents in training. All the centers had the elementary tools for diagnosis and all except one had Echo-2D-Doppler. There were eight catheterization laboratories exclusively used for pediatric activities and nine further laboratories that combined adult and pediatric activities. A total of 83,061 patients were attended in outpatient clinics and there were 6,938 hospital admissions in 22 centres. A total of 279 ablation procedures were performed in 12 electrophysiology laboratories. The seventeen centres with surgical activities performed 2,498 cardiac catheterisms (968 interventional) and 2,292 cardiac surgical interventions.

Given the large number of participating centers, the present report provides exhaustive information on the organization, resources and activities of pediatric cardiology in Spain. Pediatric cardiology should be granted official recognition of its work so that teaching hospitals, organization, resources and activities can be regulated.