What is a Guthrie card?

Guthrie cards, commonly used to collect blood spots from the pricked heel of newborns to screen for diseases such as phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cells disorders, might offer a snapshot of the epigenome before disease develops.

Why is it called a Guthrie card?

In the 1960s, Robert Guthrie devised an ingeniously simple test for the metabolic disease phenylketonuria. Shortly after birth, the heel of a newborn is pricked to collect several drops of blood on filter paper (a so-called Guthrie card).

How long are Guthrie cards kept for?

What happens to my baby’s blood spot card? After screening, the blood spot cards are stored for at least 5 years. They may be used: to double check your baby’s screening result.

Is Guthrie test good?

Guthrie’s test identified 275 infants as presumptive positive for PKU, meaning they were likely to have PKU. Of those 275 infants presumed positive for PKU, thirty-seven cases of PKU were confirmed by repeating the Guthrie test and using a quantitative blood assay, meaning the test was effective.

Why do they take blood from a baby’s heel?

An abnormal oxygen level can indicate a critical heart malformation. About 24 hours after your baby is born before you’re discharged from the hospital, a nurse will administer a “heel prick” test to look for indications in the blood of rare medical conditions such as phenylketonuria or PKU.

How long does Guthrie test take?

Usually, a midwife takes a blood sample between 48 and 72 hours after the baby is born. The midwife pricks the baby’s heel and places a few drops of blood onto a piece of card. This can happen in the hospital or at home. The test is safe and will not harm your baby.

Are blood spot tests accurate?

IMPORTANCE Dried blood spot (DBS) collection provides an easy, practical, and acceptable alternative to venous blood collection, especially for community-based studies, provided that results from DBS are accurate.

Why are blood spot cards stored?

Babies who test positive can be treated early, improving their health and, in some cases, preventing severe disability or even death. Newborn screening laboratories use stored blood spot cards to monitor the screening programme, including double-checking babies’ results if necessary.