Use of Pulse Oximetry to Detect Congenital Heart Disease

Neonatal screening pulse oximetry improved detection of critical CHD.

Routine physical examination fails to detect at least half of critical congenital heart disease (CHD) cases. In the largest study to date, investigators used pulse oximetry to screen for CHD on admission to the nursery in 50,000 infants (86% of nearly 58,000 live births) delivered at 14 Norwegian hospitals in 2005 and 2006.

In 1360 newborns who failed initial screening tests (arterial oxygen saturation [SpO₂] <95%, measured by a probe on the foot), 324 results were considered pathologic because of symptoms or persistent SpO₂ <95% on repeat testing. Diagnoses among these 324 cases included CHD (43 infants), pneumonia-septicemia (55), transient tachypnea (54), and prolonged transitional circulation in a healthy newborn (147). At age 6 months, …

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Use of Pulse Oximetry to Detect Congenital Heart Disease

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Reviewing Author