Affecting approximately one in every 125 babies born, congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common birth defect. Forty thousand people are born each year with a CHD; 4,000 will not survive their first year. Twice as many children die each year from a CHD than all forms of Pediatric Cancers combined. The eight most common defects account for 80% of all congenital heart diseases, while the remaining 20% consist of many independently infrequent conditions or combinations of several defects. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is generally considered to be the most common type of malformation, accounting for about 1/3 of all congenital heart defects.