Congenital heart disease (CHD) represents a common neonatal condition that would be ideally suited to a screening program if simple and reliable methods were available. The aim of this study was to throw a light on the risk factors of congenital heart disease among newborn infants and to evaluate the validity and accuracy of pulse oximetry as a screening tool for congenital heart disease among them. This was a case control study carried out in the Pediatric Department of Gharian teaching hospital over two years period from January 2006 to January 2008 and included 476 neonates, classified into two groups: Study group: included 176 newborn infants properly diagnosed as having congenital heart disease. and control group: included 300 healthy newborn infants free from any congenital defects and randomly selected from hospital discharge of maternity and neonatal care unit and properly matched with the study group regarding age of newborn, birth order and parental education. All newborns included in the study were subjected to: full history taking through questionnaire interview, complete neonatal examination, Pulse oximetry measurement on the right hand of the infant and on either foot, plain x ray chest and heart, ECG and Echocardiography. The results of this study revealed that Congenital heart diseases in newborns are significantly associated with, Prematurity (OR,2.8; 95% CI: 1.6-4.8 ,P< 0.001), male sex (OR, 2.39; 95% CI:1.6-3.5, P< 0.05), low birth weight |
