Neonatology expert who is a member of the Indonesian Pediatricians Association Dr. Setya Dewi Lusyati, Sp. A, Subsp. Neo, Ph.D explained the stages of health checks on newborns as early detection of disturbances as well as ensuring their condition.
“So that if there is a disturbance detected early on, appropriate treatment can be carried out before the problem has a negative effect,” he said in a written statement, Wednesday.
The first examination to be carried out, namely a physical examination including examination of sex, measurement of body weight and length, and whether there are congenital abnormalities that are visible to the naked eye, is ideally carried out in the presence of parents.
Furthermore, when the baby enters the age of 48 hours, several other tests also need to be carried out, one of which is an examination of thyroid function (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone/TSH) with blood sampling.
Setya said thyroid deficiency can slowly interfere with physical growth and mental abilities. Therefore, if it is known that there is interference from this examination, then treatment can be done before the baby is one month old.
Next, check the function of the enzyme Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD). In Asian people, especially East Asia, the risk of deficiency of this enzyme is higher which causes red blood cells to break down faster than they are formed, causing anemia and jaundice.
Another examination is the presence or absence of blue congenital heart defects, which is done by checking the oxygen saturation on the right finger or hand.
“If the saturation is below 90 percent, further examination is needed in the form of echocardiography (heart ultrasound) to confirm whether there are abnormalities in the heart,” said Setya.
Additional checks
According to Setya, who practices at Pondok Indah – Puri Indah Hospital, babies born to parents with a history of congenital abnormalities require additional examinations.
“In babies like this, if there are abnormalities usually seen during an ultrasound examination, although there is also the potential not to be seen. If congenital abnormalities require genetic or chromosomal examination, parents will be asked for approval to carry out these examinations,” he explained.
Meanwhile for premature babies, additional examinations are needed which will be repeated periodically, such as X-rays to see lung capacity, ultrasound of the head to see whether there is brain bleeding and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) if abnormalities are found in the brain as a result of an ultrasound of the head.
Other tests include ultrasound of the heart, checking eye function to see vascularization (oxygen supply and nutrition), especially in babies with a history of receiving oxygen support and hearing tests done before the baby leaves the hospital.
In addition, an evaluation of growth and development is also carried out until the age of two years and other examinations according to the baby’s clinical condition.
Setya added, in newborns, not all disturbances need immediate action or even do not require action. Heart defects for example, which can improve by itself at the age of one year.
“Even if developments are in a bad direction, action is taken when the baby’s weight reaches three kilograms. Likewise with testicular abnormalities (monitoring up to two to four months of age) and hernias (more than four months of age),” said Setya.
This news has been published on Antaranews.com with the title: Here are the stages of a newborn health check
Editor : Moh Ponting
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2023-07-19 03:28:43
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