Pulse Oximetry Screening for Congenital Heart Defects in the Newborn Nursery: A Review for the General Pediatrician

Congenital heart defects are a heterogenous group of disorders that may present in varied ways early in life. Of particular importance within the category of congenital heart defects are "critical" congenital heart defects, which require surgery, interventional catheterization, or prostaglandin dependence before intervention by age 1 month or 1 year, depending on which definition is used. Because of the time-sensitive element of identifying such lesions, the question is raised: how can children affected by critical congenital heart defects best be identified? One strategy that has been used since the mid-1990s is a pulse oximetry screening assessment, which detects such abnormalities in neonates and has led to improved child health outcomes across the United States and the world. This article will serve as a review of the critical congenital heart defect pulse oximetry screening tool for general pediatricians and those who care for infants. [.