Bob Demaree, Clinical Projects Manager at USDTL is at The Fetus & Newborn: State-of-the-Art Care conference in Las Vegas, NV this week. He welcomes every attendee to stop by and learn more about our newborn testing. More importantly our newest assay which can measure an alcohol biomarker in umbilical cord tissue.

Fetal alcohol exposure has been recognized as the leading cause of preventable mental retardation and birth defects. Each year in the United States approximately 40,000 alcohol exposed newborns are diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. This condition can result in a variety of physical, behavioral and learning disorders. A recent SAMHSA survey reviewing data collected in 2009-2010 reported that 4.7 percent of pregnant women admitted binge or heavy drinking. Early identification is a key factor to improving outcomes for this group. Currently, identification relies on maternal 
self-report or the presence of a set of unique physical characteristics. Self-report has limited value in determining alcohol exposure and the physical characteristics may not appear until later in child’s development.

A positive result from our CordStat EtOH is an indication of risky alcohol drinking behavior in the last two to four weeks of pregnancy.

To find out more call customer serivce at 800.235.2367.

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