THE "POPSICLE" INITIATIVE - Pulse Oximetry Pre-Discharge Screening For Illnesses And Critical Congenital Heart Lesions In Newborns
Tue Dec 3, 12:00 - Tue Dec 3, 15:00
The Auditorium, Education Complex, Valkenberg Hospital
ABOUT
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is common and Critical CHD- defined as defects leading to death or needing intervention before 28 days of life-, occurs in 2-3 per 1000 live births. Without early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, 50% born with significant CHD will die in infancy, 1/3rd in the first month of life.
Newborn Pulse Oximetry (POx) screening seems to be the 1st, appropriately simple method used for universal screening for CHD. The Rationale is that most CCHD has a degree of hypoxaemia that would not necessarily produce visible cyanosis and therefore not be clinically detectable. A significant body of evidence demonstrates that early detection of CCHD and other significant neonatal illnesses through routine newborn POx screening is an effective strategy for reducing mortality and morbidity rates in young children.
Most of the world is now screening: In 2011 the US secretary of Health And Human Services recommended POx screening be added to the routine newborn screening panel and most US states have adopted this with =90% of infants born in the USA screened by the end of 2014. In Europe: Finland is in the lead with a screening rate of 97%, Sweden, 91% and Norway, 90%. POx screening is recommended in Abu Dhabi, Ireland, Sri Lanka and Poland and large pilot studies have been performed in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, China and the Netherlands. Newborn POx screening have been endorsed by discovery health and most private birthing facilities are now screening as well.
In 2017, a Newborn Pulse Oximetry (POx) screening study, known as "POPSICLE" was conducted by Paediatric Cardiologist and Nenonatal Consultant, Dr Anika Van Niekerk, at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital (MMH) in Cape Town, South Africa. The study successfully showed the importance of early detection of CHD through the implementation of Newborn POx screening. A series of meetings followed with various MOU's and stakeholders in both Public and Private Healthcare sectors to introduce the POx screening.
On 3 December 2019, Brave Little Hearts South Africa in Partnership with the Western Cape Government: Health and the Mowbray Maternity Hospital presents this followup Seminar to discuss the way forward for and the importance of POx screening as part of Basic Nursing Care in South Africa.
Join the Call to Action - The "POPSICLE" Initiative - because Early Detection CAN save Little Hearts.