OBJECTIVES To assess the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements at 5 different body sites in Japanese very low birthweight (VLBW) infants and to determine a cut-off value of TcB to detect total serum/plasma bilirubin (TB) levels ≥10 mg/dL (171 μM). STUDY DESIGN In a prospective multicenter study, 85 Japanese VLBW infants were enrolled from 5 neonatal intensive care units duri...

INTRODUCTION Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurement in newborns has been studied extensively in the non-Hispanic population, but its usefulness in the Hispanic population remains unclear. We evaluate the accuracy of TcB measurements in assessing jaundice in Hispanic neonates by using total serum bilirubin (TSB) measurements as the reference standard and determine the TcB level that can be u...

OBJECTIVES To study (i) the incidence and course of jaundice, and (ii) the predictors of significant jaundice in late preterm infants. DESIGN Prospective analytical study. SETTING Urban perinatal center. PATIENTS Inborn late preterm infants (post menstrual age of 34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks). METHODS Infants were followed till day 14 of life or till onset of significant jaundice. Relevant ma...

BACKGROUND Cyanotic patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) might be protected against atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Atherosclerotic risk factors and carotid intima - media thickness (IMT) were investigated in adults with cyanotic CHD and in unaffected age- and sex-matched controls. Fifty-four cyanotic patients (30 men, mean age 38, range 19-60 years) and 54 controls were included...

OBJECTIVE To test whether the combined use of total plasma/serum bilirubin (TSB) levels and clinical risk factors more accurately identifies infants who receive phototherapy than does the use of either method alone. STUDY DESIGN We recruited healthy infants of ≥35 weeks' gestation at 6 centers that practiced universal predischarge TSB screening. Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) was measured at ...

Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) has the potential to reduce total serum bilirubin (TS) sampling. The principal aim of this study was to determine and compare the number of initial TSB samples (TSBs) in two postnatal units (hospitals A & B) whereby hospital A used TcB and hospital B did not. A secondary aim was to determine the clinical factors that led to initial TSBs exceeding exchange transfus...

Pathophysiology of jaundice Jaundice is defined as the yellowish discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes and conjunctival membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia, which is an excess of bilirubin in the blood. Discoloration is most noticeable in the face and descends cephalocaudally; with clearance of the yellowish hue occurring in the opposite direction. Most adults are visibly jaundiced whe...

BACKGROUND: For evaluation of jaundiced neonates, serum bilirubin (SB) or transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TcB) is used. Few data are available on the quantitative reduction of blood sampling by using TcB. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in hospitalized jaundiced neonates ≥32 weeks’ gestational age. In the intervention group, TcB was used and in the control group the decision...

OBJECTIVE To find the optimal transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) screening level in term neonates that minimizes the discomfort of phlebotomy, while protecting the child from harm and controlling costs. METHODS All available TcB and total serum bilirubin (TSB) measurements taken between 27 and 51 hours of life from a cohort of term newborns were analyzed in a retrospective chart review. TcB cutof...