Detection of congenital heart disease by neonatologist performed cardiac ultrasound in preterm infants

We aimed to assess the frequency of de novo congenital heart disease (CHD) detection via neonatologist-performed cardiac ultrasounds (NPCU) in premature infants born at <30 weeks of gestation.

In this cross-sectional study (2004–2023) clinicians completing NPCU flagged de novo suspected CHD. All flagged NPCUs were cross-checked with cardiologists to confirm CHD diagnosis.

There were 2088 out of 3739 infants (56%) with at least one NPCU; 294 (14%) with cardiology referral. CHD diagnosis was confirmed in 109 of the 2088 (5.2%) infants. All major and critical CHD on NPCU imaging were suspected during NPCU and had prompt referral to the cardiology department.

De novo presentation of significant CHD continues to occur in the preterm population, emphasizing the need for recognizing CHD during NPCU. Optimizing NPCU training may benefit patients with early cardiology referral and review.