In a preliminary study fingerprint patterns of Down's syndrome children were examined to determine correlations with congenital heart defects (CHD). The results demonstrate that the left hand digit ridge count minus the right hand digit ridge count, and number of ridges on the fifth digit of the left hand separate patients with CHD from those without heart defects (W/OHD). The method correctly classified 92% of the CHD group and 73% of the W/OHD group.