PERFIL DAS INTERNAÇÕES E ÓBITOS POR MALFORMAÇÕES CONGÊNITAS DO CORAÇÃO NO ESTADO DO MARANHÃO, 2015–2024

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are structural malformations of the heart and great vessels and constitute one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in early childhood. In Brazil, congenital diseases have a significant impact on infant mortality, with approximately 30,000 new cases per year, corresponding to roughly 1% of live births. From this perspective, the present study aimed to analyze the profile of hospitalizations and deaths due to different congenital heart malformations in the state of Maranhão from 2015 to 2024. This was an epidemiological study with a descriptive and retrospective design, and data collection was performed using the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SIH/SUS) and the Mortality Information System (SIM), both provided by DATASUS. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 3,216 hospital admissions and 423 deaths due to congenital heart malformations were recorded in Maranhão, with annual means of 322 hospitalizations and 42 deaths. A marked increase in hospitalizations was observed from 2022 onward, reaching a peak in 2023 (498 cases), accompanied by a rise in deaths, with the highest number reported in 2022 (55). Hospitalizations were concentrated among children under 1 year of age, accounting for more than 50% of cases, and most deaths occurred in the same age group (over 70%). No substantial sex predominance was identified, although boys presented slightly higher proportions of both hospitalizations (51.3%) and deaths (57.4%). The mean length of hospital stay decreased from 20.1 days in 2015 to 10.2 days in 2024, with longer durations among children aged 1 to 4 years. Hospital expenditures more than doubled during the study period, rising from R$ 1.4 million in 2015 to R$ 3.7 million in 2024, with the highest expenditures observed among children under 1 year of age. The findings highlight the persistent relevance of congenital heart diseases as a cause of infant hospitalizations and deaths in Maranhão, emphasizing the need for strategies aimed at early diagnosis, improved neonatal care, and strengthened prevention and specialized treatment services.