PHOTOTHERAPY OUTCOMES AND BILIRUBIN ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN PRETERM NEONATES: A TERTIARY CARE EXPERIENCE

AISHWARAYA MANTHALE; TRIVENI DESAI; RASHMI KAMATH; VEERESH GODI

doi:10.22159/ijcpr.2025v17i1.6005

Authors

AISHWARAYA MANTHALE Department of Paediatrics, Motherhood Hospital Whitefield Bangalore, India
TRIVENI DESAI Department of Paediatrics, Bidar Institute of Medical Science Bidar, India
RASHMI KAMATH Department of Paediatrics, Healthway Hospitals, Old Goa, India
VEERESH GODI Department of Paediatrics, Healthway Hospitals, Old Goa, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ijcpr.2025v17i1.6005

Keywords:

Neonatal jaundice,, Phototherapy, Preterm neonates, Transcutaneous bilirubin, Serum bilirubin, Tertiary care

Abstract

Objective: Management of neonatal jaundice, particularly in preterm neonates, is a significant challenge in neonatal care, with phototherapy serving as the primary treatment modality. This study evaluates the outcomes of phototherapy and the efficacy of different bilirubin assessment techniques in a tertiary care environment.

Methods: A hospital-based prospective observational study was conducted involving 100 preterm neonates. Transcutaneous (TcB) and total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels were measured before, during, and after phototherapy to assess correlations and differences.

Results: Statistically significant correlations were found between TcB and TSB post-phototherapy (r-value = 0.8154, p-value<0.0001) and during phototherapy (r-value = 0.6069, p-value<0.0001). However, TcB tended to underestimate bilirubin levels compared to TSB post-phototherapy, with a mean difference of -0.42 mg/dl (p-value = 0.0117).

Conclusion: Despite discrepancies with traditional serum bilirubin (TSB) measurements during and after phototherapy, TcB proves to be an effective tool in clinical practice. The findings suggest that with further refinement and adjustment for influencing factors, TcB can serve as an equivalent to serum assessments, reducing the need for invasive procedures in neonatal jaundice management.

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