Parents can rest more assured of having a healthy infant aftermidnight Saturday when more tests are added to hospitals’ list ofnewborn screening tests.

“Previously, our genetic screening had five tests,” said AngieWilliamson, nurse manager of the Labor, Delivery, Recovery andPostpartum Unit at King’s Daughters Medical Center. “The new lawhas added 35 tests to that list. We’re the only state, I believe,that is doing all 40 tests right now, although others are lookingat it.”

The new tests include such rare, yet highly dangerous, diseasesas cystic fibrosis and for other less serious defects likehypothyroidism, she said.

“These tests have all been available to the public previously,but no one took them because most people didn’t even know what theywere,” Williamson said. “It’s good we’re doing this though. We’llbe able to catch a lot more defects, earlier, with these newtests.”

The process undergone by the infant during testing has notchanged, she said. The tests can all be conducted from samplestaken with the heel prick common to the old system.

“The baby doesn’t have to go through any cruel and unusualpunishment,” Williamson said. “Nothing has changed in thatrespect.”

The addition of 35 tests to the screening has forced hospitalsto increase the cost for the tests though, she said. The price forthe new screenings has increased by $50.

“I think that’s really a great deal considering we’re adding 35tests for only $50,” Williamson said.

Some of the tests they will be screening for now often presentdifficulties to the lab, she said, if any one of several factorsare present, such as blood drying too quickly or the lab notgetting enough blood. When that occurs the lab frequently callsparents to request another blood sample.

“That is not a cause for alarm,” Williamson said. “It’s only ifthey call with specific screening abnormalities that parents needto worry. Many things can happen that can make a repeat testpossible, and those often return as negative when retested.”

The LDRP unit is ready to begin to apply the new screenings assoon as the law goes into effect this weekend, she said.

The legislature passed the new law in the last session and setan effective date for the new screenings to begin on June 1.