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§ 878.2. Findings

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 11 P.S. ChildrenEffective: September 30, 2014

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 11 P.S. Children (Refs & Annos)
Chapter 16. Newborn Child Pulse Oximetry Screening Act
Effective: September 30, 2014
11 P.S. § 878.2
§ 878.2. Findings
Currentness
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Congenital heart defects (CHD) are structural abnormalities that are present at birth and range in severity from simple holes in the heart to severe malformations.
(2) Some severe congenital heart defects can cause serious and life-threatening symptoms that require intervention in the first days of life.
(3) The March of Dimes reports that approximately 350,000 infants are born with heart defects every year in the United States.
(4) Congenital heart defects are the number one killer of infants with birth defects; however, advances in diagnosis and surgical treatment have led to dramatic increases in survival for children with serious heart defects.
(5) In the United States, about 1.4 million children and adults live with congenital heart defects today, and nearly all are able to live productive, active lives.
(6) Current methods for detecting congenital heart defects include prenatal ultrasound screenings and repeated clinical examinations, which only identify less than half of all cases of CHD.
(7) Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive test that when performed on newborns, is effective in detecting critical, life-threatening congenital heart defects that go undetected by current screening methods.

Credits

2014, July 2, P.L. 853, No. 94, § 2, effective in 90 days [Sept. 30, 2014].
11 P.S. § 878.2, PA ST 11 P.S. § 878.2
Current through Act 10 of the 2024 Regular Session. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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