There is a great article in the New York Times Screening Babies for Broken Hearts. We know that US has a high infant mortality rate compared to other nations (6.71 per 1,000 of live births). A study over a 16 year period in California reported that hundreds of babies in America die each year as a result of congenital heart defects that could be corrected if they were diagnosed at birth or during that initial hospital stay. In 1999, British researchers found that half of serious heart defects were missed and the babies sent home. Most then became critically ill.
How can these abnormalities be detected? Newborn babies are examined very thoroughly. Doctors or nurses sometimes notice abnormal heart sounds or signs of poor circulation and more diagnostic studies are done. Apparently, this has not been foolproof.
Have you ever seen a pulse oximeter? It is small, simple, inexpensive, and non invasive. The small red light evokes memories of ET. A study of 40,000 newborns in Sweden found that using this diagnostic tool eliminated all instances of undiagnosed cardiac defects.
Looking at the numbers quoted in this particular article, it would make sense to incorporate this quick and easy check into routine newborn care.
