Parents
Pulse oximetry screening checks for a set of serious, life-threatening heart defects known as critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). Infants with such heart problems may have low blood oxygen levels. If CCHD is detected early, it often can be treated with surgery or other medical interventions.
Pulse oximetry is a simple test that takes only a couple of minutes to measure how much oxygen is in a newborn's blood. The test is done by placing a painless sensor on the baby's skin so a machine called a pulse oximeter can measure blood oxygen levels. The test is performed after the baby is 24 hours old and before he or she leaves the newborn nursery. Results are available immediately after testing is complete. Hospital staff will give results to parent before discharge to home. If there are any follow up recommendations, those will be communicated to parent by hospital staff.
Contact Information:
Mailing Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Newborn Screening Program
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
Phone: (405) 426-8309
Fax: (405) 900-7554
E-Mail: newbornscreen@health.ok.gov
