Clinical Screening for Congenital Heart Disease at Birth: A Prospective Study in a Community Hospital in Kerala BALU VAIDYANATHAN, GAYATHRI SATHISH, SINIMOL THOPPIL MOHANAN, KARIMASSERY RAMAIYAR SUNDARAM*, KARUKAPPILLY KRISHNAN RAGHAVA WARRIER† AND RAMAN KRISHNA KUMAR

for about 10% of infant deaths and about half of deaths due to congenital malformations in developed countries [1]. The prevalence of CHD diagnosed in the first 12 months is estimated at 6-8 per 1000 live births [2]. About 25% of CHDs are life-threatening and may manifest before the first routine clinical examination [3,4]. Failure to identify these critical lesions immediately after birth leads to delay in referral and increased mortality and morbidity [5]. Several studies have documented the lack of sensitivity of routine neonatal examination in detecting CHD [6-10]. Recent studies have reported a high sensitivity and specificity for pulse oximetry for early detection of CHD in newborn babies [1116]. Combining pulse oximetry with clinical examination can enhance the clinician’s ability to detect life-threatening CHD in a timely manner [17,18]. Clinical Screening for Congenital Heart Disease at Birth: A Prospective Study in a Community Hospital in Kerala