7) Improved, simpler test for heart defect in babies

Currently, heart defects are detected using antenatal scans during pregnancy or by a routine baby examination after birth. However, a study made in August 2011 by the University of Birmingham and London, Barts and the London University of Medicine, investigated a technique called 'pulse oximetry'; a simple procedure involving infrared sensors to detect oxygen levels in the blood in the fingers or toes. The study found that 99% of babies without a major heart defect were correctly identified as healthy, after an experiment involving 20,055 newborns. The test was only able to detect 75% of babies with major congenital heart defects (CHD) and 49% of babies with critical CHD, however, these tests are still reported to be better than existing screening techniques.