Newborn screening heel blood test

The article was written by MSc Ma Van Tham - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Screening is the use of simple, easy-to-implement methods that do not affect health, to identify individuals at high risk for a certain disease.

Newborn screening includes newborn screening tests to find and identify babies at high risk for a medical condition in the newborn screening program. If the child is detected in time, early intervention treatment will help the child develop normally.
Screened diseases often go undetected before birth, however, these diseases can cause serious damage to multiple organ systems, especially the brain, nervous system, and/or possibly cause death in children if not treated promptly.
Because symptoms are often not easily recognized after birth, newborn screening is the only way to detect these conditions before permanent damage can appear. Early treatment can help your child grow as healthy as possible.
According to statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), ED has an average incidence of 1 in 2,000 children. Meanwhile in Vietnam, this number is higher at 1/500 children. This disease is difficult to diagnose, easily confused with neonatal infection or some other diseases, the disease progresses very quickly, it is almost impossible to diagnose clearly from pregnancy and right after birth.
Heel blood test to screen for congenital metabolic disorders is the most effective method to detect diseases in children when there are no symptoms, so that timely treatment can be prevented or reduced. minimize serious health problems. If the treatment is continued, long-term, most children can grow up, develop normally, and be healthy.
Taking a blood sample does not cause any harm to the health of the child at all.

Blood is taken at the heel, which is less painful for the child, ensuring enough blood for the test. The needle for blood sampling is a specialized needle for newborns, with a depth of no more than 2mm, without causing any dangerous injury to the newborn.
Perform newborn screening test (SLSS) for newborns with 48 hours of age born at Vinmec Phu Quoc Hospital, a drop of blood from the heel will be taken on absorbent paper to dry and perform the test. With just 1 drop of heel blood, 55 congenital metabolic disorders can be detected. If your baby was born in a health facility that doesn't offer screening tests, you may be able to get help from a healthcare professional to get a sample for testing at home. The best time to have your baby's blood drawn for the SLSS test is between 2-7 days old. If the screening results indicate your child is at risk, our Specialist will contact you directly and guide you through the next steps for diagnosis, treatment or prevention.