Imagine
if you were about to have a baby. Now imagine you’d heard that
there was a test that could be carried out on all newborn babies –
a quick, easy and painless test that could help detect potentially
life-threatening heart disease. You’d want your baby to have that
test, wouldn’t you?
Tiny Tickers, the baby heart charity, thinks so too and that’s why they
have created their latest campaign, Test for Tommy. The campaign is
named in memory of baby Tommy, who died from undiagnosed heart defect
at eleven days old. And by ‘test’, they are referring to pulse
oximetry testing.
Pulse
oximetry testing is a non-invasive test that can be performed a few
hours after birth and measures a baby’s blood oxygen levels. With a
simple probe attached to baby’s head and foot, you get a reading
within seconds. Low percentage levels could be a sign of a heart
problem, meaning the baby would be sent for further examination. This
would then start the chain of events that would hopefully save their
life.
At
present, pulse oximetry isn’t part of the mandatory NHS newborn
checks (NIPE), meaning not every baby leaving hospital has the test.
One in 125 babies are born every year with a serious heart condition
and, at present, 1000 leave hospital with no-one knowing they have a
potentially life-threatening illness. Tiny Tickers wants to change
that, by creating a safety net for those 1000 babies. They are doing
this by placing pulse oximetry machines in maternity wards across the
UK.
Let’s
look at two babies, born with the same heart condition and see the
difference a pulse oximetry test can make…
When
Tommy was born, he displayed all the signs of heart failure that his
mum, Natasha, now knows about – his skin was a blue colour, he
didn't want to feed, he was always asleep and cold to touch. Natasha
knew something was wrong and voiced her concerns to numerous medical
professionals, but it was too late. Tragically, at 11 days old, Tommy
passed away. Tommy's post-mortem showed he had Transposition of the
Great Arteries, a heart condition that can be treated with surgery.
Natasha is now passionate about ensuring all babies receive a pulse
oximetry test because, if Tommy had been tested, he may still be here
today.
Tom
was also born with Transposition of the Great Arteries. Unlike Tommy,
he received a pulse oximetry test after birth. His oxygen saturation
levels were dangerously low and his heart condition was diagnosed
soon after the test. Tom had open heart surgery at eight days old and
is now approaching his third birthday. His mum Nicola, forever
grateful for the pulse oximetry test that helped to save his life,
says, ‘Without the pulse oximetry test, which is currently not a
compulsory part of newborn testing, we would have been sent home. It
terrifies me how differently our story may have turned out.’
Sadly,
the horror Nicola can only imagine, is a daily reality for Natasha.
The stories of two babies with similar names and the same heart
condition end so differently because one was offered a pulse oximetry
test and the other wasn’t. It’s that simple.
Tiny
Tickers has already placed 70 pulse oximetry machines at hospitals
throughout the UK and, through the Tommy's Test campaign, they seek
to fund 330 by 2021. But they need our help. With congenital heart
disease being one of the biggest killers of infants in the UK,
there’s no time to waste.
All
babies deserve the best start. Help Tiny Tickers to make sure every
baby receives a pulse oximetry test by donating today. For more
information, and to donate to the Test for Tommy campaign, visit
www.tinytickers.org/test-for-tommy or text BABY46 £5 to 70070 and
help support more tiny hearts.
Natasha
says, ‘I can never explain to someone the pain of losing your baby.
It’s a pain nobody wants to imagine or ever feel’. Let’s help
Tiny Tickers ensure no more babies die from an undiagnosed heart
condition. Every newborn deserves the test that could save their
life. Thank you.
Tiny
Tickers Registered Charity No: 1078114
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