Neonatal pulse oximetry screening: a national survey
- 1Department of Paediatrics, Basildon Hospital, Nethermayne, Basildon, Essex, UK
- 2Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
- 3Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Correspondence to Dr Wilf Kelsall, NICU, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge University Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK; wilf.kelsall{at}addenbrookes.nhs.uk
- Accepted 6 January 2011
- Published Online First 19 February 2011
The newborn examination is a universally accepted method to screen for congenital heart disease (CHD); however, failure of detection has been estimated to be in excess of 25%.1 Antenatally, only 23.4% of CHD is diagnosed by obstetric ultrasound screening with variable diagnostic rates nationally.2 Recent studies have reported improved detection rates with the use of pulse oximetry (PO) and demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of such screening.3 4 We surveyed the practice of PO as a part of routine neonatal examination in hospitals …
