<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033_s_007">
<h3>Background</h3>
<p>Congenital heart disease (CHD) can be fatal if not diagnosed at the early phases of life. Available diagnostic tools for screening critical CHD are mostly invasive and costly.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033_s_008">
<h3>Aim</h3>
<p>The current study aimed to validate the use of pulse oximetry as a non-invasive and cost-effective tool to screen critical CHD.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033_s_009">
<h3>Material and methods</h3>
<p>This observational study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching institute. A total of 1,082 asymptomatic term neonates (aged 2–24 h) were screened by pulse oximetry and clinical examination for the detection of critical CHD. Neonates with abnormal pulse oximetry and clinical examination findings were subjected to confirm the presence of CHD.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033_s_010">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>The incidence of critical CHD in asymptomatic newborns was found to be 0.5% (5/1000 live births). Echocardiography confirmed five cases of critical CHD. Pulse oximetry alone could detect 80%, and clinical examination alone could detect 60% of the CHD cases, while combining both methods gave 100% detection rate.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033_s_011">
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Pulse oximetry is a simple, cost-effective, and reliable tool to diagnose critical CHD. In majority of the newborns who have not undergone fetal echocardiography, the underlying critical CHD can be missed, and in such cases, pulse oximetry screening offers an effective way to minimise the undiagnosed discharge risk.</p>
</sec>

</abstract>

Background
Congenital heart disease (CHD) can be fatal if not diagnosed at the early phases of life. Available diagnostic tools for screening critical CHD are mostly invasive and costly.


Aim
The current study aimed to validate the use of pulse oximetry as a non-invasive and cost-effective tool to screen critical CHD.


Material and methods
This observational study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching institute. A total of 1,082 asymptomatic term neonates (aged 2–24 h) were screened by pulse oximetry and clinical examination for the detection of critical CHD. Neonates with abnormal pulse oximetry and clinical examination findings were subjected to confirm the presence of CHD.


Results
The incidence of critical CHD in asymptomatic newborns was found to be 0.5% (5/1000 live births). Echocardiography confirmed five cases of critical CHD. Pulse oximetry alone could detect 80%, and clinical examination alone could detect 60% of the CHD cases, while combining both methods gave 100% detection rate.


Conclusion
Pulse oximetry is a simple, cost-effective, and reliable tool to diagnose critical CHD. In majority of the newborns who have not undergone fetal echocardiography, the underlying critical CHD can be missed, and in such cases, pulse oximetry screening offers an effective way to minimise the undiagnosed discharge risk.

Pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease in newborns

Journal of Mother and Child

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease in newborns"}

Background
Congenital heart disease (CHD) can be fatal if not diagnosed at the early phases of life. Available diagnostic tools for screening critical CHD are...

Pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease in newborns

Article Category: Original articles

Published Online: Jul 20, 2022

Page range: 1 - 9

Received: Nov 27, 2021

Accepted: Apr 22, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34763/jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033

Keywords
congenital heart disease (CHD), pulse oximetry, physical examination, echocardiography

© 2022 Dalwinder Janjua et. al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease in newborns

Article Category: Original articles

Published Online: Jul 20, 2022

Page range: 1 - 9

Received: Nov 27, 2021

Accepted: Apr 22, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34763/jmotherandchild.20222601.d-21-00033

Keywordscongenital heart disease (CHD), pulse oximetry, physical examination, echocardiography

© 2022 Dalwinder Janjua et. al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
congenital heart disease (CHD), pulse oximetry, physical examination, echocardiography