Linking world bank development indicators and outcomes of congenital heart surgery in low-income and middle-income countries: retrospective analysis of quality improvement data.

Objective: Many low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) struggle to provide the health services investment required for life-saving congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery. We explored associations between risk-adjusted CHD surgical mortality from 17 LMICs and global development indices to identify patterns that might inform investment strategies.

Design: Retrospective analysis: country-specific standardised mortality ratios were graphed against global development indices reflective of wealth and healthcare investment.