London - All babies should be routinely screened at birth for life-threatening heart defects using a simple and painless test, say researchers.
The pulse oximetry test measures blood oxygen levels in newborns with a small skin sensor placed on a hand or foot.
The test identifies some babies with congenital heart defects which would otherwise be missed by doctors.
In some cases, infants would only be diagnosed at a later stage when they have developed serious complications or died.
Identifying the problems early on allows doctors to correct or reduce them with surgery, where possible, or prescribe medication.
Heart defects affect one in 145 newborn babies in the UK, and current techniques for identifying babies with a congenital heart defect involve ultrasound scans and routine physical examinations shortly after birth.
These methods pick up around half of affected babies, while the pulse oximetry test can pick up three-quarters alone.
In a study, it was used on more than 20,000 babies born at six maternity units across the West Midlands who all appeared to be healthy at birth.
The tests, conducted between February 2008 and January 2009, detected 53 cases of major congenital heart disease, 24 of which were critical.
In 35 cases, congenital heart defects were already suspected after ultrasound examinations. But 18 cases identified by pulse oximetry had not been picked up by ultrasound.
The test spotted three-quarters of all critical cases. When it was combined with ultrasound and physical examination, the detection rate rose to 92 percent and no babies died from undiagnosed problems.
It did not detect all cases of “critical” congenital defects because some are not associated with low oxygen levels in the blood.
The findings were published in an online edition of The Lancet medical journal.
Lead researcher Dr Andrew Ewer, from the University of Birmingham, said the test was simple, painless and non-invasive, and usually performed within 24 hours of birth.
He said: “A small probe is put on the baby’s hand and then on the foot, the machine is switched on and you obtain a reading. That’s it. It takes longer to undress the baby than it does to do the test.
“This study has shown conclusively that this test is advantageous. We would like to see all babies being routinely tested. In this way the test will pick up additional babies who might otherwise have become very ill or even died.
“I think we now have enough evidence to say that pulse oximetry screening should be incorporated into everyday clinical practice.”
The test also flagged up some non-heart related problems such as respiratory disorders and infections.
Amy Thompson of the British Heart Foundation said: “Although great progress has been made in the treatment and care of congenital heart disease, early and rapid detection is key for greater survival.” - Daily Mail