In the entire spectrum of childhood diseases, heart disease occupy a special position regarding incidence; Congenital heart defects are among the most common organ abnormalities, moderate and severe forms of congenital heart diseases occur with a frequency of about 6 to 8 per 1000 live births. Rapid advances in diagnostic and therapeutic options in recent decades have led to a spectacular improvement in prognosis.

So far, data from heart diseases in children in Switzerland are not recorded centrally. A national registry collecting all relevant personal and medical data, as in other European countries, e.g. Finland, Sweden or Germany does not exist. The incidence and course of heart diseases in children in Switzerland are therefore unknown and can only be extrapolated indirectly from other countries. The SPHC project was therefore initiated by the Swiss pediatric cardiologists and is supported by its professional association, the Swiss Society for Pediatric Cardiology (Schweizerische Gesellschaft fr pdiatrische Kardiologie; SGPK), as well as by its research association, the Association for Pediatric Heart Research Switzerland (Verein Kinderherzforschung Schweiz; VKHFS).

The aim of medical efforts in children with heart disease has shifted in recent years from a mere assurance of survival to an overall optimization of morbidity. These patients are expected to have a good perspective with normal growth, development, and quality of life well into adulthood. This goal can be achieved by researching the incidence and disease progression as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic measures in Switzerland. In this way, conclusions can be drawn, which lead to a modification of the therapeutic procedures and finally improve the prognosis of heart disease. The statistical significance of individual case descriptions or retrospective case series of individual centers, as practiced today, is insufficient for these purposes.

The aim of the SPHC is to optimize the diagnosis and therapy of all children with heart disease in Switzerland. In particular, the following goals are pursued:

• Describe incidence of heart diseases in childhood
• Enable research on the cause of the disease
• Record long-term history of mortality, morbidity and quality of life
• Describe therapeutic measures (medications, cardiac catheterization, cardiac surgery) regarding efficacy and safety
• Identify risk factors for a good / bad prognosis
• Promote prevention
• Collect basic data for the planning of care and for health economic analyses in the context of public health research projects
• Provide data for international collaborative studies
• A collaboration with Registry of adults with congenital heart defects (Grown Up Congenital Heart Disease, GUCH) is anticipated. This registry also uses SecuTrial and is also located in the Clinical Trial Centre (CTC) of the University Zrich.