The other day at my sons 2 week dr apt they told me that we had to go to the lab and have the newborn screening bloodwork done again because it came back as "inconclusive". I am wanting to know if anyone has any experence with this. What are some reasons why the test came back inconclusive? Does it mean that there is likely a problem, or can everything still be fine? What are the different things that the newborn screening test for? I asked the people in the lab how long till i get the results and they were not sure. He has an apt monday afternoon for something unrelated and I am going to ask the doctor more about it while I am there, but would appreciate any info/ advice to help ease my mind in the mean time.
I work for a national lab and as Sarah K. said below, there could be a problem with the blood sample: not enough sample, not stored properly, not labeled properly...you get it.
When you do the initial newborn screening within the first three days, it's common to have inaccurate results. I wouldn't worry at all about it, honestly. It's very likely that everything is still just fine. But it could also mean that something is wrong. I wish I could remember all the details, but I can't...but there's a reason it's really inaccurate at 3 days.
My daughter had something come back wrong on hers. We had to retest, and she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. It wasn't a big deal to get it treated and monitored. But I know for sure that other kids have results come back that they need to be retested, and everything is fine after the second test. The test done at 3 days is often inaccurate. Typically we refuse the 3-day old testing and only do it at two weeks.
Anyway, hope that helps. You have a very high chance that everything is still just fine. Hopefully you'll find out that is the case!
I think there is a good chance that everything is okay, maybe the blood sample was contaminated or too small. Whatever the reason for the inconclusive result, you need to do the follow up as instructed by your doc. The diseases they test for are pretty rare but can be easily treated if caught early. The specific diseases tested for can vary state to state. Here is a link with info about the KY newborn screening. About halfway down is the list of what is tested for.
http://chfs.ky.gov/dph/mch/ecd/newbornscreening.htm
Most likely too small of a sample taken.
In my state they don't even do the newborn screen in the hospital, you have to go back to the hospital two weeks later.
It is not uncommon for the first newborn screen to come back abnormal, that is why they do a repeat at two weeks of age. If the second comes back abnormal, then they will send off additional tests to verify the result. I work in a NICU, and with premies, it is not uncommon to have abnormal results on the first and sometimes second screen. It is very uncommon to have a true disorder. That being said, if something does come up abnormal for real, many of the disorders are easily treated with diet or medication if caught early in life. That is why the screen is done when they are so young.
Each state has different requirements for what they test, so you may need to doa google search for your state and new born testing.
It really sounds like a lab error, tainted sample, or maybe not enough of a sample. I would not read into the inconclusive message as a bad thing.
I had to have my daughter's newborn screening repeated because there was something wrong with the sample they took in the hospital. It does screen for some really important conditions that can be a problem if untreated. My daughter's came back fine the second time.
