The little heart test is one of the tests carried out on babies born with a gestational age greater than 34 weeks and is carried out in the maternity ward, between the first 24 and 48 hours after birth.
This exam is carried out by the team that accompanied the birth and is used to check whether the baby’s heart is working correctly, as it may be that, during pregnancy, some heart disease was not detected.
Check all the exams that the newborn must take.
What is it for
The little heart test is used to assess how the baby is adapting to life outside the womb. This exam can detect irregularities in the muscles and blood vessels of the heart, in addition to checking whether the heart beats the expected number of times per minute, and even whether the blood pumped by the heart contains the necessary amount of oxygen that the baby needs.
Some changes that can be detected by the little heart test are:
1. Ventricular septal defect
This defect consists of an opening between the right and left ventricles, which are the lower parts of the heart and which should not be in direct contact with each other. It is common for this opening to close naturally, but in any case, the pediatrician will monitor the case to check whether the closure occurs spontaneously or whether surgery is necessary.
Children with this mild change do not present symptoms, however if the degree is moderate it can cause respiratory discomfort and difficulty gaining weight.
2. Atrial septal defect
The atrium is the upper part of the heart, which is divided into left and right by a cardiac structure called the septum. The defect that causes atrial septal disease is a small opening in the septum, which connects the two sides. This opening can close spontaneously, but there are cases in which surgery is necessary.
Babies with this change do not usually show symptoms.
3. Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot is a set of four defects that can affect the heart of a newborn baby. For example, when the lower left blood vessel of the heart is smaller than it should be, this causes the muscle in this region to enlarge, leaving the baby’s heart swollen.
These defects reduce oxygen in the body, and one of the signs of the disease is the color change to shades of purple and blue in the baby’s lips and fingers. See what the other signs are and how Tetralogy of Fallot is treated.
4. Transposition of great arteries
In this case, the large arteries responsible for the circulation of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood work in the opposite way, where the side with oxygen does not exchange with the side without oxygen. Signs of transposition of the great arteries occur hours after birth due to lack of oxygen and the baby may also experience an increase in heart rate.
In this disease, reconstructive surgery is often indicated to reconnect the blood vessels in the places where they should have formed during pregnancy.
How the exam is carried out
The examination is carried out with the child lying comfortably with their hands and feet warm. A special bracelet-shaped accessory for newborns is placed on the baby’s right arm, which measures the amount of oxygen in the blood.
There are no cuts or holes in this exam and, therefore, the baby does not feel any pain or discomfort. Furthermore, parents can remain with the baby throughout the process, making them more comfortable.
In some cases, this test can be carried out on the baby’s foot, using the same bracelet to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.
What does the result mean
The result of the exam is considered normal and negative when the amount of oxygen in the baby’s blood is greater than 96%, this way the child follows the neonatal care routine, being discharged from the maternity ward when all the newborn exams have been carried out.
If the test result is positive, it means that the amount of oxygen in the blood is less than 95% and, if this occurs, the test must be repeated after 1 hour. In this second test, if the result is maintained, that is, if it remains lower than 95%, the baby needs to be hospitalized for an echocardiogram. Find out how an echocardiogram is done and what it is for.
