Study urges heart screening at birth for babies

Heart problems are the most common type of birth defects, accounting for more neonatal fatalities than any other problem, but affected newborns often show no visible signs of the condition.

Research published in the Lancet online shows a simple test called pulse oximetry offers accurate and cost-effective screening by measuring oxygen circulating in the bloodstream using a sensor placed on a baby’s foot.

Heart defects affect almost one in 100 of babies born in the UK each year – around 5,000 in total.

Previous research indicates that around half of these babies will be undiagnosed when mother and baby are discharged from hospital. Surgery can successfully treat the most serious cases but it is most effective when the defect is picked up early.

The new research, which brings together the results of 13 separate studies, is the largest of its kind and includes data on close to 230,000 babies.

Research showed the test hardly ever wrongly diagnosed healthy babies as having a heart defect. Some are picked up by ultrasound scans carried out when a woman is around 20 weeks pregnant or by examination of the newborn baby, but many cases are missed.

The study found it was most accurate when used to screen babies around 24 hours after birth. Researchers say it could easily be combined with existing screening for less common defects.

Shakila Thangaratinam, who led the research at Queen Mary, University of London, said: “Heart defects in newborn babies are thankfully rare but their potential impact is devastating.

“This study is really important because by including such large numbers of babies, we can show that pulse oximetry is effective at picking up defects, without misdiagnosing healthy babies.”