Care of the high-risk neonate usually refers to the low-birth-weight infant or the sick term newborn. Whereas hyperbilirubinemia is certainly a matter of concern in these infants, the decisions that must be made regarding jaundice in the high-risk neonate are, in general, less complex than those that must be made for the healthy full-term infant. For the term and near-term infant, shorter hospi...

Jaundice (also known as hyperbilirubinemia) is a yellowish-greenish pigmentation of the sclera and skin caused by an increase in bilirubin production or a defect in bilirubin elimination. Management of hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common reasons for readmission of a newborn. Prolonged unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia can result in acute bilirubin encephalopathy and eventually develop in...

Position changes are believed to increase the efficacy of phototherapy and this practice is routinely used in all neonatal departments in our country. The aim of this study was to detelmine the effect of routine turning on the total serum bilirubin (TSB) concentration versus only supine position. In a randomized clinical trial fifty healthy tenn jaundiced neonates who were admitted to the neona...

Background: Bilirubin binds to cell membrane phospholipids, including N-methyl D-aspartate receptor, and causes excessive activation that can lead to neurotoxic effects. Since magnesium is an important inhibitor of this receptor, a comparison can be made between the physiological effects of magnesium and the neurological effects of bilirubin. This study aimed to compare changes in serum magnesi...

This article is adapted from a published evidence report concerning neonatal hyperbilirubinemia with an added section on the risk of blood exchange transfusion (BET). Based on a summary of multiple case reports that spanned more than 30 years, we conclude that kernicterus, although infrequent, has at least 10% mortality and at least 70% long-term morbidity. It is evident that the preponderance ...

BACKGROUND Prediction of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is very important for early treatment and prophylaxis of neurologic sequels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive role of umbilical cord -fetoprotein (UCAFP) as a marker of an increased risk for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in full term babies. METHODS Umbilical cord blood was collected from 400 term singleton full ter...

We performed DNA analysis on cord blood samples of 128 Chinese male neonates diagnosed as G6PD deficiency in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia by a combination PCR-restriction enzyme digest technique, Single Stranded Conformation Polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing. We found 10 different G6PD-deficient mutations exist. The two commonest alleles were G6PD Canton 1376 G>T (42.3%) and K...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of clofibrate for unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in neonates. METHODS A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials was conducted to evaluate the clofibrate treatment in neonates with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. We followed the guidelines from the Cochrane review group and the PRISMA statemen...

BACKGROUND A novel filtered-sunlight phototherapy (FSPT) device has been demonstrated to be safe and efficacious for treating infants with neonatal jaundice in resource-constrained tropical settings. We set out to provide baseline data for evaluating the clinical impact of this device in a referral pediatric hospital. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of infants admitted for neonatal hy...

BACKGROUND Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) devices are commonly used for screening of hyperbilirubinemia in term and near-term infants not exposed to phototherapy. However, the accuracy of TcB devices in infants exposed to phototherapy is unclear. OBJECTIVES To conduct a systematic review of studies comparing TcB devices with total serum bilirubin (TSB) in infants receiving phototherapy or in ...