Heel blood screening method

Many people feel unfamiliar when they see heel blood, as if it has nothing to do with us. Heel blood screening is a blood test performed on newborns shortly after they come into this world. It is mainly to detect whether the newborn is normal or sick. It is also to give parents peace of mind. So what are the methods for collecting heel blood screening? What diseases can it detect? Let’s find out together.

Heel blood sampling should be done within 3 to 7 days after birth and the newborn should be fully breastfed. For those who do not have blood drawn for various reasons (premature babies, low birth weight babies, those discharged early, etc.), the blood should be drawn no later than 20 days after birth. Newborn disease screening is done by collecting heel blood from the newborn at the delivery hospital (the blood is dropped onto a special paper and the blood spot is then sent to the Newborn Disease Screening Center for testing).

1. Hold the sole of your foot with your left hand;

2. When drawing blood, squeeze the sole of the foot with your left hand, and at the same time, hold the calf on the same side with your right hand, using moderate force and relaxing intermittently;

3. Use the index and middle fingers of your left hand to clamp the calf from the popliteal fossa along the small saphenous vein and push down to the ankle joint to clamp and collect blood and prevent blood from reflux.

4. Warm your feet and let the blood flow out naturally without squeezing;

5. After taking a bath, use a warm towel to apply heat to the blood collection point;

6. In addition to routine blood collection, blood should be collected from newborns after regular breastfeeding, bathing, and alcohol heel massage.

Test content

Phenylketonuria Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease. It is named because the baby has phenylalanine metabolism disorder, which causes a large amount of phenylpyruvate and other metabolites to be excreted in the urine. Phenylalanine is one of the essential amino acids for the human body. After being taken into the body through food, part of it is used by the body for protein synthesis, and the rest is converted into other substances. Phenylalanine in the baby's body cannot be metabolized normally and accumulates in the body, causing damage to the central nervous system and a series of pathological changes. Signs of illness: The baby will gradually develop hair turning from black to yellow, skin turning white, and eye irises becoming lighter, and will also have neurological abnormalities such as increased muscle tone, abnormal gait, slight tremors in the hands, and repetitive limb movements. Parents should be particularly aware that baby urine has a very unpleasant rat urine smell. In addition, babies are prone to eczema, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. A low-phenylalanine diet is used in treatment to ensure the supply of various nutrients needed for the baby's normal growth and development, while avoiding excessive intake of phenylalanine. Once diagnosed, treatment should be started immediately; the earlier the treatment, the better the prognosis.

From this, it is not difficult to see that it is indeed not easy for a baby to grow up from being ignorant to an adult. It involves the hard work of the parents and the careful treatment of the doctor. The purpose of heel blood screening is to allow parents to promptly discover congenital problems in their baby, receive early treatment, and then let the baby grow up healthy and happy. Although some congenital diseases cannot be cured, parents should also face them with a positive attitude.