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Content: http://www.hrsa.gov/heritabledisorderscommittee/correspondence/CCCHDSecResponse042011.pdf
The ICC includes the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, Agency for Healthcare research and Quality, and the Food and Drug Administration. The ICC is examining the evidence gaps as described by the Advisory Committee and will propose a plan of action to address the identification of effective screening technologies, development of diagnostic processes and protocols, education of providers and the public, and strengthening infrastructure needs for follow-up and surveillance. AHA POLICY POSITION
The AHA issued a policy position statement on pulse oximetry screening of newborns in November 2010. It states: The AHA continues to advocate for effective, comprehensive screening for critical (requiring surgical or catheter intervention in the first year of life) congenital heart disease in newborns. Pulse oximetry testing before discharge may be one important strategy for such screening as it can be an effective, noninvasive, inexpensive tool to assist in diagnosing critical congenital heart disease. While the risk for use of this screening is minimal, and the benefits are still being fully elucidated, the AHA reaffirms its current recommendation supporting consideration of pulse oximetry as a screening methodology (Class IIA-Level of Evidence C)1based on consensus science versus extensive randomized controlled trials. RECENT UNITED KINGDOM STUDY
In one of the largest studies of its kind, United Kingdom researchers have demonstrated that pulse oximetry testing of newborns improves the detection of critical congenital heart disease, identifying defects that go undetected with antenatal ultrasound. The study, published in Lancet this month, involved the pulse oximetry screening, between February 2008 and January 2009, of 20,055 apparently healthy newborns from six maternity units across the United Kingdom. Of the total number of babies, 53 had major congenital heart disease (24 critical), a prevalence of 2.6 per 1000 live births.