Mirror covered tunnel phototherapy increases the efficacy of phototherapy for neonatal jaundice

Objective: Neonatal  jaundice (NJ)  is  one of the  most  common  cause  of  neonatal  hospital  admission.  Phototherapy is the main therapy for hyperbilirubinemia of neonatal jaundice. The efficacy of phototherapy depends on the dose and wavelength of light used and the surface area exposed. We  increased  photons  in  mirror  covered  tunnel  phototherapy  (MCTP)  by  putting  mirrors behind the lamps (mirror covering), without raising the temperature or risk of hyperthermia. This study evaluates the efficacy of this modification. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, during a 6-month period 30 neonates were treated for NJ; 60 neonates who had uncomplicated neonatal jaundice requiring only phototherapy were used as controls for the study by the convenience sampling method. The controls received single phototherapy by tunnel phototherapy while the study group underwent MCTP.In this set we put mirrors which were mercury coated 3 mm thick glass behind the bulbs of the set. Serum bilirubin was measured at admission, 24 hr and 48 hr after initiation of treatment, then daily and 24 hr after discharge. Independent sample t-test was used in SPSS version12 software for data analysis . Results: Mean duration of admission in the study group was significantly lower than controls (p= 0.027). Likewise the mean decrease in bilirubin level after 24 and 48 hr of phototherapy were significantly lower than controls (p= 0.005 and p= 0.036). Conclusion: Our results show that the use of mirrors behind the bulbs in tunnel phototherapy units can safely increase the efficacy of   phototherapy.