Pulse Oximetry Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Defects in Newborns.

Pulse oximetry is an accurate screening test for critical congenital heart defects in newborns. Pulse oximetry is simple to use, widely available, and has moderate sensitivity (76.3%) and good specificity (99.9%). However, the prevalence of critical congenital heart defects is low, and most newborns who screen positive do not have a critical congenital heart defect.