By Katie Lawson | Head of Fundraising & Comms
Thank you for supporting our Pulse Oximetry campaign and helping us to fund more machines across the UK. We really couldn't do what we do without the support of our generous donors. With your help, we have now funded 139 machines across the UK, from Shetland to Sussex.
Pulse Oximetry testing helps to detect heart defects by measuring oxygen levels (oxygen saturation) in the blood. It uses a light sensor to assess the level of oxygen in the baby’s blood. The test is carried out using a pulse oximeter, a specialist machine that is used routinely throughout the world to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood. A small probe is wrapped around the baby’s hand and foot and connected to a small machine that measures the baby’s oxygen levels by shining a light through the skin.
In the USA, where pulse oximetry screening is routine for all babies, a large study has reported that death from critical heart defects was reduced by one third in babies offered the screening compared with those who were not offered it.
Currently only around half of the babies born in the UK are offered this test – meaning around half will not be tested. Whether or not a baby has the test depends on the hospital of birth. If the NHS was to recommend this test as part of mandatory newborn screening, then all babies born in the UK would be offered it.
The NHS has been considering routine pulse oximetry screening for critical heart defects in newborn babies born in the UK for a number of years. The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) launched a public consultation in August 2019 on its recommendation not to make the test mandatory. If that recommendation is passed, it means it will continue to be up to each individual NHS Trust whether or not to offer pulse oximetry testing – and that means the postcode lottery of whether a baby is offered the test will continue.
The NHS is now considering the public response and is set to make a final recommendation on pulse oximetry screening in the early part of 2020. Here at Tiny Tickers, we passionately believe that every baby should have access to this test - and we're continuing to campaign for the test, and to fund and place pulse oximetry machines in UK hospitals.
Thank you for your support.
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