Tweaking Newborn Test May Save Even More Lives, Atlanta Study Suggests

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May 14th, 2018

A new study at the busiest birthing hospital in the nation — Northside in Atlanta — suggests that tweaking the screening algorithm might catch more non-critical congenital heart disease medical problems, without compromising the test’s original intent.

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One in 100 babies are born with congenital heart disease. And it can be deadly.

Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) that goes untreated causes half of the infant deaths in this country related to birth defects. The scary thing is that infants show no symptoms at birth.

Fortunately, CCHD can be diagnosed, either in the womb or soon after birth. Post-birth screenings are done through a pulse oximetry test — an inexpensive, non-invasive pulse test that measures the amount of oxygen flow in a newborn.

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