dr. philip spevak specializes in pediatric cardiac, of the babies born with heart defects every year onlyf will be diagnosed before they leave the hospital. >> if they are already getting very sick the horse is out of the barn so to speak. >> that means they can end up with brain damage, organ failure or dead. there are simple measures to improve early diagnosis and the first step is doing a thorough prenatal ultrasound exam. >> so screening ultrasound picks up pretty easily diagnosed abnormalities, but it sometimes misses heart disease. >> that's because most practices only spend 5 to ten minutes on that screening. other measures include educating doctors about symptoms and giving all newborns pulse auction imetry test, a tool that measures blood oxygen levels which can indicate whether the heart is pumping properly. >> it's cheap and relatively effective. >> katherine gilman says she's just thankful that doctors are able to diagnose spencer early. she's expected to make a full recovery. >> he's really laughing a lot now and just babbling all of the time. >> yes. i think he's more relaxe

dr. philip spevak specializes at john hopkins children's center.hundreds born with heart defects every year, only half will be diagnosed before they leave the hospital. >> if they are already getting sick, the horse is out of the barn so to speak. >> reporter: that means they could have brain damage, organ failure or end up dead. there are several measures to improve early diagnosis and the first step is doing a thorough prenatal ultrasound exam. >> so screening ultrasound picks up pretty easily diagnosed abnormalities but it sometimes misses heart disease. >> reporter: the doctor says that's because most practices only spend 5 to 10 minutes on that screening. other measures include educating doctors about symptoms and giving all newborns pulse ox imtree tests, a tool that measures blood oxygen levels which can indicate whether the heart is pumping properly. >> it's cheap, relatively effecti effective. >> reporter: katherine gilman says she's just happy doctors were able to diagnose spencer earl. >> he's really laughing a lot now and just babbling