Senator Brownsberger submitted the following written testimony to the Joint Committee on Public Health.
TO: Committee on Public Health
FROM: Senator William N. Brownsberger
RE: S1008, An Act relative to newborn pulse oximetry screenings for congenital heart defects
DATE: June 4, 2013
I am writing in support of S1008, an Act relative to newborn pulse oximetry screenings for congenital heart defects.
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects in the U.S. and nearly one in three infants who die from a birth defect have a heart defect. Wider use of non-invasive, inexpensive pulse oximetry screenings will greatly improve the likelihood of identifying newborns at risk for heart defects.
When congenital heart defects are not recognized in the hospital, newborns are at risk for serious complications within the first days or weeks of life and often require emergency care. I hope the Committee will report S1008 favorably.