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Review
. 2021 Sep 8;21(Suppl 1):305.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-02520-7.

Newborn pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart defects

Sophie Jullien  1
Affiliations
Review

Newborn pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart defects

Sophie Jullien. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

We looked at existing recommendations and supporting evidence addressing the effectiveness of pulse oximetry effective for detecting critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) in newborns. We also looked at the impact of timing of oximetry and the site of testing in the accuracy of screening, and at the potential harms and limitations of pulse oximetry screening,We conducted a literature search up to the 13th of August 2019 by using key terms and manual search in selected sources. We summarized the recommendations and the strength of the recommendation when and as reported by the authors. We summarized the main findings of systematic reviews with the certainty of the evidence as reported.Current evidence supports consistent accuracy for detection of CCHDs in newborns by pulse oximetry screening in addition to antenatal ultrasonography and clinical examination. Overall, early diagnosis of CCHD with pulse oximetry is judged to be beneficial and cost-effective, and potential harms associated with false-positive tests are not serious, while missing CCHDs and other serious diseases detected by hypoxaemia in absence of pulse oximetry screening can lead to serious consequences. The site of testing (post-ductal versus pre- and post-ductal) had no significant effect on sensitivity nor specificity for detection of CCHDs.

Keywords: Congenital heart defects; Newborn; Pulse oximetry; Screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

SJ had a contract and was paid as an independent consultant by the WHO via Witten/ Herdecke University, ECPCP and EPA/UNEPSA for developing the different articles of this supplement.

References

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