Extracting blood from heelHow is the blood test performed?
The test is performed by pricking the infant s heel and putting four drops of blood on a special filter paper. These blood spots are allowed to dry and are sent to the Women s and Children s Hospital in Adelaide, where they are tested. The results of the tests will then be sent to your hospital, doctor or midwife within a week. Because the disorders tested for are rare, the great majority of infants tested will show no signs of being affected with a particular disorder. Only 1 in 800 babies tested will be affected with one of these disorders. If your child s test shows an abnormal result, you will be notified immediately by your doctor who will provide all the necessary details on what to do next. This will almost always require further testing in order to confirm or exclude the disorder in your baby.
