Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2005

Mentor: Dorothy Sendelbach, MD, Elizabeth Quarles MD, and Elizabeth Stehel MD
Department: Pediatrics
Room number: Newborn Nursery, Parkland Memorial Hospital
Mail Code: 9063
Phone number: (214) 590-4054, (214) 590-2440, and (214) 590-4206
E-mail: Dorothy.sendelbach@utsouthwestern.edu, liz.quarles@utsouthwestern.edu, and Elizabeth.stehel@utsouthwestern.edu

Project title: What are normal pulse oximeter values in term and near term infants in the first 4 hours of life?

Project Type: Patient-based research
Human subjects IRB approved project number: in-process

Project Description: Congenital cardiovascular malformations are the most common birth defect, with a prevalence of 6.6 per 1,000 live births in Dallas County. Congenital heart disease accounts for approximately 35% of infant deaths from birth defects. Neither prenatal ultrasound nor physical assessment are effective screening methods for congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease meets criteria for mass screening if an effective screening test were available. Several published studies suggest that pulse oximetry on all neonates prior to hospital discharge (at 24-103 hours of age) is an effective screening tool for detection of significant congenital cardiac anomalies. Since mass screening would be more efficiently accomplished shortly after the birth of the neonate, we are interested in determining if screening pulse oximetry at 4 hours of age would effective. Little information exists regarding the normal O2 saturation of neonates within the first 4 hours of life. This observational study would entail collection of pulse oximeter data on a small group of healthy term and near-term infants in the newborn nursery at Parkland Memorial Hospital in the first 4 hours of life in order to develop normative data.

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