Congenital heart disease is one of the most common malformations in newborns. About 1% of newborns have cardiac malformations. Many need open heart surgery, which contributes substantially to pediatric mortality and morbidity. Recent advances in genetics suggest that many congenital heart defects are caused by mutation of genes. So far, half a dozen genes are found to be associated with congenital heart diseases, such as TBX5, NKX2.5, and GATA4, to name a few. In the near future, more genes will be identified.