Comparison of serum bilirubin measurement in laboratory and transcutaneous bilirubinometry

Background and Purpose: Bili-Check is a simple method used to provide a rapid pain-free and noninvasive transcutaneous estimation of total serum bilirubin. The present study was conducted to compare estimates of serum bilirubin using Bili-Check [TCB] with total serum bilirubin [TSB] values determined in a clinical laboratory

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Methods and Materials: This is a dehlive analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Ghaem Hospital NICU from September 2008 to March 2008. With a confidence interval of 95% and test power of 80% 109 neonates were selected through convenient non-randomized sampling as the study sample. TSB was determined in a clinical laboratory using the diazo with photometric method. Then within 10 minutes transcutaneous measurements were performed via Bili-Check. Data analysis was done in SPSS11.5 using correlation coefficient

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Results: From 109 neonates included in the study 75 were male [68.8%] and 34 female [31.2%] with an age range of 1 to 26 days. Mean serum Bilirubin was 12.979 and TCB estimate was 12.219. Laboratory findings highly correlated with the results of TCB [r=0.766] [P=0.0001]

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Conclusion: Bili-Check has the sufficient adequacy as the measurement and observation device for neonates and can replace serum bilirubinometry in laboratory fro Icteric neonates