05.08.11
Oxygen test detects baby heart defects
A new oxygen test has a high success rate of detecting heart defects in babies. Testing for oxygen in the blood, using a pulse oximeter, can find 75% of the most serious cases within five minutes.
Congenital heart defects affect about one in every 145 babies, and most can be surgically corrected.
The traditional detection method included ultrasound checks, or listening to the babies’ hearts after birth, yet the success rate was low. Doctors are now calling for the new test to be implemented in hospitals across the UK.
Researchers tested 20,055 newborns with the oxygen method; if the oxygen levels were too low or varied between the hands and feet, further checks were carried out.
The lead researcher at Birmingham Women's Hospital, Dr Andrew Ewer, said: "It adds value to existing screening procedures and is likely to be useful for identification of cases of critical congenital heart defects.”
Amy Thompson, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Early and rapid detection is key for greater survival.
"Not all babies who are born with a heart defect will show any signs or symptoms, so problems can go unnoticed. This is a promising piece of research which shows how a quick and simple test could help to detect more heart defects and make a real difference."
The results of the study are published in The Lancet.
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