What is the best response by the nurse when the mother of a 24-hour-old newborn asks why her baby is being screened for congenital heart disease?

Question

A) "We don't trust you to notice possible heart problems in your baby."
B) "This is a routine mandatory newborn screening."
C) "Your baby's skin color is a little red."
D) "The doctor heard a heart murmur which is not normal at this stage after delivery."

Answer 1

B) "This is a routine mandatory newborn screening."

Explanation: A) Many cases of congenital heart disease (CHD) are asymptomatic, and the parents may not notice anything wrong. This is why screening is routinely done on healthy babies to look for evidence of problems before the baby is sent home from the hospital.
B) Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) is a term used to refer to a group of serious congenital heart defects that usually require surgical correction within the first year of life. In September 2011, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services publicly recommended that routine screening of newborns for CCHD be added to the current state-mandated newborn screenings.
C) A red complexion is not unusual for a 24-hour-old newborn.
D) A heart murmur may be heard at one day after delivery because the ductus arteriosus begins to close within 1- to 15 hours after birth, with permanent closure resulting by 21 days of life.