by Molly S. on Monday, September 10, 2012
During the 2012 legislative session, the Alabama House of Representatives passed House Resolution 318. The resolution commends the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) for their efforts to implement mandatory pulse oximetry screening on all Alabama newborns prior to discharge. It also commends the American Heart Association, Alabama Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics and the Alabama Hospital Association for collaborative efforts around pulse oximetry screening.
Congenital malformations are one of the leading causes of infant death in the United States, and critical congenital cardiac defects are responsible for more deaths than any other type of malformation. Routine pulse oximetry performed on asymptomatic newborns after 24 hours of life, but before hospital discharge, may detect critical congenital heart disease. Currently in Alabama, forty-seven of the fifty-two birthing facilities implement pulse oximetry screening per the Alabama Department of Public Health-approved protocol. In 2013, the state is expected to add critical congenital heart defects to the recommended screening panel for Alabama newborns.