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).
- A test for galactosemia