Newborn heart disease screening proposed

The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony Jan. 24 on a bill that would adopt the Nebraska Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening Act.

Under LB225, introduced by Papillion Sen. Jim Smith, all newborns in Nebraska would be required to undergo screening for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) in accordance with standards adopted by the state Department of Health and Human Services.

CCHD is among the leading causes of morbidity and death in newborns, Smith said, and can be detected with a simple test similar to those already required for metabolic disorders and hearing.

Smith said he is not normally in favor of government mandates, but that CCHD screening has been shown to save money and lives.

“Screening doesn’t prevent CCHD,” he said, “but early detection is essential in getting the necessary support and care. I became convinced that required screening is the right thing for us as a state to do.”

Dr. Robert Spicer, chief of cardiology at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, testified in support of the bill. CCHD is the most common birth defect in newborns, he said, and can lead to cardiogenic shock and death if undetected.

Dr. David Minderman, an Omaha neonatologist, also testified in support of the bill. Approximately nine out of 1,000 newborns will be diagnosed with some form of heart defect, he said, and an estimated 25 percent of those infants will have CCHD.

CCHD screening can alert physicians to potentially life-threatening complications among that 25 percent, he said, adding that all newborns in his practice already are screened for CCHD.

No one testified in opposition to LB225 and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.