According to the National Family Health Survey, the infant mortality rate (IMR) in India stands at 34 per 1,000 live births. About 10% of these infant deaths can be attributed to congenital heart diseases (CHD) alone. About 1.5 lakh infants are born with CHD in the country every year, a condition which can be detected with timely screening. Considering this, relevant stakeholders had come together to launch a campaign for formulating a national policy on making CCHD screening mandatory in all healthcare establishments in India. Dr Anne de-Wahl Granelli, a specialised biomedical scientist visiting India to raise awareness about CCHD screening was also part of the discussion.
The campaign followed a high-level meeting with Manoj Jhalani, Additional Health Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Masimo, a global leader in innovative non-invasive patient monitoring technologies is the technology partner for the initiative.
At present, the screening methods that include physical examination, fetal scan or a combination of these two can only detect 72% of the cases. Various clinical studies have shown that addition of reliable pulse oximetry to screening protocols can potentially increase the detection rate to 92% which in the Indian context can approximately save about 52,000 babies. This will further have a direct impact on IMR.
The CCHD screening can also detect other birth defects including sepsis, respiratory disorders/lung pathology, persistent pulmonary hypertension, and transitional circulation.