Research Evaluates Newborn Screening Test, UK

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 17 Dec 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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New research commissioned by the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is investigating whether the use of pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease, could help save the lives of more newborn babies. Life threatening and significant heart defects apparent at birth account for three percent of infant deaths. Less than half of affected babies are identified by the current screening technique of a clinical examination shortly after birth. During this examination the baby's heart function is assessed by listening to the heart with a stethoscope, checking the breathing and pulses and in addition, checking the baby's colour. A pink colour of the lips and tongue indicates that enough oxygen is in the blood and the heart and lungs are working properly but it can be difficult to verify this just by observation.

Research led by Dr Andrew Ewer, at the University of Birmingham, is investigating whether pulse oximetry screening is a more effective test than clinical examination alone. Pulse oximetry screening is a quick and painless method that measures the concentration of oxygen in the blood through a small probe placed on a hand and foot for a few minutes before the baby leaves hospital. If a baby has a low concentration of oxygen this could be a sign of a heart problem and they will be referred for further investigation. A previous HTA-funded review published in Health Technology Assessment Vol 9.44 concluded that this is a promising additional method for screening for heart defects, but that further evaluation was needed.

The research will be carried out at six hospitals in the West Midlands to determine the accuracy and cost effectiveness of the test. Researchers will also investigate how acceptable the test is to parents.

"Recognising life-threatening heart abnormalities in newborn babies early is vital, as deterioration with some treatable problems may be sudden, resulting in death before diagnosis," says Dr Ewer. "We hope this research will identify an effective and cost-effective method for improving the chance of survival for many newborns affected by congenital heart disease."

For more information about this research, visit http://www.hta.ac.uk/project/1624.asp or http://www.pulseox.bham.ac.uk.

Notes:

1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal's 2006 Impact Factor (5.29) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, http://www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.

2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients.

http://www.nihr.ac.uk