Neonatal heel pricks - Definition and Overview

The neonatal heel prick is a common procedure for taking a blood sample from the heel of newborn infants.

The blood samples can be used for a variety of tests, including:

• Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to detect hypothyroidism and hence prevent cretinism.
• Trypsin to detect cystic fibrosis.
• Detection of phenylketonuria, an enzyme deficiency that can impair brain development.

Other potential tests include:

• A test for galactosemia

With genetic tests becoming more common, a wide variety of tests may use the blood drawn by this method.