Validation of a smartphone-based screening tool (Biliscan) for neonatal jaundice in a multi-ethnic neonatal population.

AIM: Neonatal jaundice is an important and prevalent condition that can cause kernicterus and mortality. This study validated a smartphone-based screening application (Biliscan) in detecting neonatal jaundice. METHODS: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted at the neonatal unit in a tertiary teaching hospital between August 2020 and October 2021. All babies born at the gestation of 35 weeks and above with clinical jaundice or are recommended for screening of jaundice within 21 days of post-natal age were recruited. Using Biliscan, images of the babies' skin over the sternum were taken against a standard colour card. The application uses feature extraction and machine learning regression to estimate the bilirubin level. Independent Biliscan bilirubin estimates (BsB) were made and compared with total serum bilirubin (TSB) and transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels. Bland Altman plots were used to establish the agreement between BsB and TSB, as well as TcB, using the clinically acceptable limits of agreement of ±35 µmol/L, which were defined a priori. Pearson correlation coefficient was assessed to establish the strength of the relationship between BsB versus TSB and TcB. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-one paired TSB-BsB and 85 paired TcB-BsB measurements were obtained. Bland Altman plot for the entire group showed that 54% (33/61) of the pairs of TSB and BsB readings and 66% (56/85) of the pairs of TcB and BsB readings were within the maximum clinically acceptable difference of 35 µmol/L. Pearson r for BsB versus TSB and TcB was 0.54 (P < 0.001) and 0.66 (P < 0.001) respectively. Compared with TSB, the recommended gold standard measure for jaundice, Biliscan has a sensitivity of 76.92% and specificity of 70.83% for jaundice requiring phototherapy. The positive and negative predictive values in term infants were 93.3% and 36.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that there is moderate correlation and mediocre agreement between BsB and TSB, as well as TcB. Improvement to the application algorithm and further studies that include a larger population, and a wider range of bilirubin values are necessary before the tool may be considered for use in screening of jaundice in newborns.

Cerebral perfusion and assessing hemodynamic significance for patent ductus arteriosus using near infrared red spectroscopy in very low birth weight infants.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA), using near infrared red spectroscopy (NIRS) regional cerebral (SrO2), renal (RrO2) saturation measurements, and fractional tissue oxygenation extraction (FTOE) before and after medical and/or surgical treatment. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants with hsPDA requiring treatment from March 2014 to December 2016 in a tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Singapore. NIRS was applied at diagnosis until 24-48 h after the last dose of ibuprofen or postsurgical ligation. All PDAs were documented to be closed by echocardiography. Post-treatment values (control group) were compared against pretreatment values. RESULTS: Twenty-nine infants were studied, with mean gestational age of 26.7 weeks and birth weight of 956 g. Median day of life of PDA diagnosis was 4. Seven infants (24.1%) underwent PDA ligation. There was significant reduction in FTOE before treatment till after last dose of medication or ligation by a mean difference of 7.27% (p < .05). Reduction in FTOE was also found between the first dose of medication till after the last dose or ligation. Cerebral SrO2 significantly increased between first dose of medication till last dose of medication by a mean difference of 3.09% (p = .034). RrSO2 values were not significantly affected. No correlation between NIRS values and PDA size was found. CONCLUSIONS: Significant increase in cerebral SrO2 and reduction in FTOE by NIRS post PDA closure in hemodynamically significant PDAs suggest that PDA closure may reduce cerebral hypoxia burden.

Use of web-based game in neonatal resuscitation - is it effective?

BACKGROUND: Knowledge and skills decline within months post simulation-based training in neonatal resuscitation. To empower 'Millennial' learners to take control of their own learning, a single-player, unguided web-based Neonatal Resuscitation Game was designed. The present study investigates the effectiveness of the game on retention of resuscitation knowledge and skills. METHODS: The study evaluated 162 healthcare professionals who attended simulation-based training in neonatal resuscitation. Following standard simulation-based training, participants were assigned to either a gaming group (Gamers) with access to the web-based Neonatal Resuscitation Game or a control group (Controls) with no access to the game. Although Gamers were given access, game utilization was completely voluntary and at will. Some Gamers chose to utilize the web-based game (Players) and others did not (Non-players). Knowledge and skills in neonatal resuscitation were assessed upon completion of training and 6 months post-training using a multiple-choice question test and a manikin-based skills test. Changes in scores were compared statistically between Gamers vs Controls, Players vs Controls, and Players vs Controls + Non-players using two-sample t-tests. RESULTS: At the final assessment, declines in knowledge scores were seen in all groups. Mean change from baseline in knowledge and skill performance scores at 6 months, adjusted for baseline skill performance and MCQ test scores, did not differ significantly between Players vs Controls and Players vs Controls + Non-players. CONCLUSION: The web-based game in its current format may not be effective in facilitating retention of knowledge and technical skills in neonatal resuscitation.

Reference range of thyroid hormones in very low birth weight infants at the time of discharge.

AIM: There is little information regarding the reference range for thyroid hormones in preterm babies, especially those with very low birth weight (VLBW) of less than 1500 g. The objective of our study was to evaluate the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and postmenstrual age in a cohort of stable VLBW infants. METHOD: An observational cohort study of VLBW infants preparing for discharge from a high-dependency nursery in Singapore. The infants' free thyroxine (fT4) and thyrotropin (TSH) levels were assayed just before discharge and correlated with postmenstrual age, calculated as the sum of the duration of gestation at birth and chronological age in weeks. RESULTS: fT4 and TSH levels were sampled in 129 ex-VLBW babies at a mean postmenstrual age of 38.5 (±4.6) weeks. The babies were born at a mean±SD gestation of 28.9±2.4 weeks (median 29.0 weeks, range 24.0-34.5 weeks) with mean±SD birth weight of 1081±268 g (median 1090 g, range 490-1490 g). Linear regression analysis revealed negative and fair correlation between fT4 and postmenstrual age (r=-0.302). The mean±SD fT4 level was 16.8±3.2 pmol/L (median 16.8 pmol/L, range 8.5-28.9 pmol/L). However, there was only a very weak negative correlation between TSH levels and postmenstrual age, both with (r=-0.116) or without logarithmic transformation. The mean±SD TSH was 4.56±2.50 mIU/L (median 4.42 mIU/L, range 1.0-13.5 mIU/L). CONCLUSION: Our study shows a fair and inverse correlation of fT4 with postmenstrual age in a large cohort of growing ex-VLBW infants, in keeping with maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. It suggests that fT4 levels in growing infants are best compared to postmenstrual age-specific norms instead of a single reference interval.