Today, even hidden health problems can be detected and treated early on. The standard preventive examinations prescribed by law serve this purpose.
Under the motto 'safe & individual', we at Helios pursue a special concept to increase the safety of mother and child. This is why we offer the following examinations to protect your baby:
Newborn screening
Here, on the 2nd day of life, several drops of blood on a filter paper card are sent to a central laboratory (screening laboratory). There, your child's blood is examined for 15 different congenital metabolic and hormonal diseases. Dangerous disorders can thus be detected in good time to avoid consequential damage. Since 2016, screening for cystic fibrosis has also been offered.
Newborn Hearing Screening
Hearing disorders in children have often been discovered after the language acquisition - and thus much too late. In order to detect and treat them earlier, all Helios clinics have been offering hearing screening for newborn babies since 2000. Since 2009, this procedure for early detection has been a recognised service of health insurances throughout Germany.
During the examination we measure your child's otoacoustic emissions (OAE), i.e. the signals that the ear itself emits. If your child is at particular risk or if the result of the hearing test is conspicuous or doubtful, additional extended examinations are carried out. If a hearing impairment is diagnosed, we offer all modern therapy options.
Newborn Heart Defect Screening
Not all heart problems are detected in time during the physical examination of the newborn. With a simple and painless measurement of the oxygen content in the blood (pulse oximetry) we can detect indications of critical heart defects at an early stage.
In the event of abnormal findings, the paediatrician will carry out an examination at short notice and, if necessary, arrange for a cardiac ultrasound examination of the newborn (echocardiography). Necessary treatment measures can thus be initiated immediately.
Examination of the hip joints
The sonographic examination of the hip joints is only obligatory during the U3 preventive examination (4th to 6th week of life). For newborns with an increased risk of hip developmental disorder (e.g. cases in the family), we carry out the screening sonography of the hips in the first days of life in order to be able to initiate therapy as early as possible, if necessary.
Further ultrasound examinations
If your child has already been diagnosed with abnormal examination results before birth or if there is a family risk, we will carry out additional ultrasound examinations. The same applies to abnormalities detected for the first time after birth.
Measurement of bilirubin
Bilirubin is the breakdown product of the red blood pigment. After birth, the liver is not yet able to sufficiently break down and excrete bilirubin. If the bilirubin level rises too high, the pigment can be deposited in the brain and cause damage.
We first check the concentration of bilirubin in the blood without taking blood from your newborn. A blood sample is only required if the values are very high.