Research advances infant heart surgery, mandatory screenings are saving lives

By , Daily Memphian Updated: February 07, 2019 4:00 AM CT | Published: February 06, 2019 2:52 PM CT
<strong>On Wednesday, Feb. 6, about a dozen newborn babies were lined up in the Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women&rsquo;s nursery window wearing red beanies. The red hats are part of an awareness campaign by the American Heart Association informing new parents that congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, affecting about 40,000 births, or 1 in 100 newborns, each year.</strong> (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

On Wednesday, Feb. 6, about a dozen newborn babies were lined up in the Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women’s nursery window wearing red beanies. The red hats are part of an awareness campaign by the American Heart Association informing new parents that congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, affecting about 40,000 births, or 1 in 100 newborns, each year. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

Infant deaths from critical heart diseases have declined 33 percent in eight states where the American Heart Association was successful in passing laws to require mandatory testing for heart defects before newborns leave the hospital. 

Topics

American Heart Association Baptist Memorial Health Care
Michelle Corbet

Michelle Corbet

Michelle Corbet covers business for The Daily Memphian. Prior to, she was a reporter at the Memphis Business Journal. A native Memphian and University of Memphis graduate, Michelle covered business in Conway, Arkansas after college. Michelle got her start covering business as an intern at The Commercial Appeal.


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