Is Pulse Oximetry a Reliable Method for Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in Asymptomatic Neonates at 35 Weeks or More of Gestation?

Abstract

Congenital cardiovascular malformations (CCVMs) are structural abnormalities of the heart or blood vessels present during fetal life and at birth. 1 From 2010 to 2017, the incidence of CCVMs was estimated at 9.4 cases per 1,000 live births in countries in Southeast Asia and the Northern Hemisphere. 2 During the same period, rates in Brazil ranged from 9.7 (in the northern region) to 62.8 (in the southeastern region) per 1,000 live births, 3 and similar values have been reported by the Global Burden of Disease. 4 Variability in the incidence of CCVMs is explained by diagnostic challenges arising from its broad clinical spectrum, which ranges from asymptomatic to symptomatic heart disease with associated risk of mortality. 4 Approximately 25% of all patients with CCVMs are considered critical and require intervention within the first year of life because of the life-threatening nature of CCVMs and the significant dependence on hospital-based medical care. 3,5