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AAP Endorses New Algorithm for Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 16, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2024 -- In a clinical report published online Dec. 16 in Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses a new algorithm for use in critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening, which was added to the U.S. Recommended Uniform Screening Panel in 2011.

Matthew E. Oster, M.D., M.P.H., from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, and colleagues present updated recommendations for CCHD screening since the 2011 AAP endorsement.

The authors note that a new AAP algorithm has been endorsed for use in CCHD screening. This new algorithm has a passing oxygen saturation threshold of ≥95 percent in pre- and post-ductal measurements and has only one retest for infants who do not pass the first screen, instead of two. To aid in surveillance and monitoring of the program and continue to improve screening, state newborn screening programs should collect a recommended minimum uniform dataset. Education on the limitations of screening, the significance of non-CCHD conditions, and the importance of adhering to protocol should be provided to stakeholders. Improving overall sensitivity and implementing methods to reduce health inequities are included as future directions of CCHD screening.

"The recommended changes to the algorithm simplify the screening process, potentially decreasing error rates in the interpretation of the algorithm and reducing the time to conduct a screening," the authors write.

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Posted December 2024

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