Canadian Congenital Anomalies Surveillance (CCAS)

This database provides birth prevalence rates for selected congenital anomalies in Canada. Live births up to one year of age and registered stillbirths are captured by CCASS. Data are primarily collected from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) acute in-patient abstract file "Discharge Abstract Database" (DAD). CCASS data are coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9). One of the most significant limitations is the inability to monitor the impact of prenatal diagnosis on the birth prevalence of selected congenital anomalies. Affected pregnancies that are terminated prior to meeting the jurisdictional criteria for a stillbirth are not captured in CCASS data.