A jaundiced neonate in an emergency department can be a catastrophic emergency that necessitates expeditious care. Progressive and irreversible bilirubin neurotoxicity may be minimized by rapid reduction of serum bilirubin concentrations through a crash-cart approach: immediate administration of intensive phototherapy and preparation for a possible exchange transfusion. Onset of acute bilirubin...

The publication of guidelines calling for less aggressive treatment of jaundice in newborns has been followed by a reappearance of case reports of kernicterus. These case reports illustrate important issues for writers and consumers of practice guidelines. One issue is the particular salience of identified patients with bad outcomes, and their potentially disproportionate influence on decision-...

Neonatal jaundice can be best understood as a balance between the production and elimination of bilirubin, with a multitude of factors and conditions affecting each of these processes. When an imbalance results because of an increase in circulating bilirubin (or the bilirubin load) to significantly high levels (severe hyperbilirubinemia), it may cause permanent neurologic sequelae (kernicterus)...

BACKGROUND Delay in the presentation of infants with jaundice at the hospital is a reason for the persistence of the severe forms of jaundice. OBJECTIVE The aim was to determine the influence of maternal knowledge on newborn jaundice on their care-seeking practices. METHODS In a cross-sectional survey, mothers whose infants presented with significant hyperbilirubinemia were assessed for kno...

OBJECTIVE We report serial magnetic resonance (MR) and sonographic behavior of globus pallidus in 5 preterm and 3 term infants with kernicterus and describe the clinical context in very low birth weight preterm infants. On the basis of this information, we suggest means of diagnosis and prevention. METHODS Charts and MR and ultrasound images of 5 preterm infants and 3 term infants with suspec...

Giant congenital melanocytic nevi (GCMN) are rare skin lesions that affect approximately 1 in 20,000 live births. GCMN must be followed up closely because of its association with an increased risk malignant degeneration. We report a newborn giant lession 14 cm diameter which was located on the chest and multiple satellite were present body. The patient required phototherapy due to hyperbilirubi...

BACKGROUND Neonatal jaundice or hyperbilirubinemia is a common occurrence in newborns. Although most cases of neonatal jaundice have a benign course, severe hyperbilirubinemia can lead to kernicterus, which is preventable if the hyperbilirubinemia is identified early and treated appropriately. CONTENT This review discusses neonatal jaundice and the use of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measur...

Gunn rats, a mutant strain of rats, suffer from autosomal recessive hyperbilirubinemia. The homozygotes (j/j) develop jaundice soon after birth and often exhibit kernicterus and cerebellar hypoplasia that are due to bilirubin. Therefore, j/j Gunn rats have been used as an animal model of bilirubin encephalopathy, as well as of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. In this review, we discuss morphologica...

Rhesus haemolytic disease of the newborn can lead to complications such as hyperbilirubinaemia, kernicterus and anaemia. Postnatal management consists mainly of intensive phototherapy, exchange transfusion and blood transfusion. During the last decades, significant progress in prenatal care strategies for patients with Rhesus haemolytic disease has occurred. New prenatal management options have...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to define the minimum academic content required for pediatricians to recognize the risk of kernicterus. METHODS A questionnaire was developed on the basis of American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines seeking to develop a consensus for pediatricians in training on the theoretical content about neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. To validate the instrument, we...