Early diagnosis of congenital heart defects in neonates

Of 26,266 live-births over 5-year period, 163 neonates (6.2 per 1,000 live birth) were diagnosed as congenital heart defect (CHD) before discharge. The median time of detection CHD was significantly longer in acyanotic CHD (44 hours) than in cyanotic CHD (6 hours). Most neonates had asymptomatic heart murmur (74.8%) and central cyanosis (11.6%). The most common presentation in acyanotic group was asymptomatic heart murmur (75.5%) whereas in cyanotic group was cyanosis (63.3%). However, asymptomatic heart murmur can also be the presentation in cyanotic group (34.6%). We conclude that routine physical examination after birth and before discharge can detect CHD in neonate. However, some CHDs may not be detected before discharge.