Grey Nuns first to routinely test newborns for heart defects

Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Hospital is the first in the world to screen every newborn leaving the hospital for congenital heart defects.

Until November, only newborns deemed at-risk were tested.

The test monitors the child’s oxygen saturation, identifying infants that may need further testing.

In December, the Grey Nuns staff screened around 600 new babies.

Masimo, the company behind the test, approached the Grey Nuns to be the first hospital to use their newborn screening application called Eve which was previously used only in clinical studies.

Each year more than 1 million babies are born worldwide with a congenital heart defect, with one in 10 dying before their first birthday, according to the Children's Heart Foundation.