Light Screens for Heart Disease in Newborns
DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 7, 2011 — A screening technique helps identify congenital heart disease in newborn babies by using various wavelengths of light to measure blood oxygen levels. Levels that are too low are a warning sign and trigger further investigation, say physicians at Duke University Medical Center, who recommend the screening. Called pulse oximetry, this noninvasive and painless screening process will offer early detection in otherwise seemingly normal-appearing babies, said Duke’s Alex Kemper, one of the s...