The use of transcutaneous bilirubin nomograms for the prevention of bilirubin neurotoxicity in the neonates.

Purpose: Although neonatal jaundice is a ubiquitous and predominantly benign phenomenon, the risk of neurotoxicity exists in a number of infants with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Plotting bilirubin values on nomograms enables clinicians to employ an anticipatory and individualized approach with the goal of avoiding excessive hyperbilirubinemia and preventing acute bilirubin encephalopathy and its progression to kernicterus. We aimed to construct nomograms for White term infants based on transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements using a JM-105 device. Methods: TcB measurements were taken in infants at ages ranging from 0 to 96 postnatal hours. We then constructed hour-specific TcB nomograms from forehead and sternum measurements in infants who did not require subsequent phototherapy. Results: We included 2,981 TcB measurements taken on the forehead and 2,977 measurements taken on the sternum in 301 White term newborn infants. We assessed the predictive abilities of the nomograms at six postnatal time intervals using receiver operating characteristic curves. The areas under the curves indicated reasonable prediction of hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy, except for the forehead measurement taken within the first 12 h of life. Sensitivity tended to rise as postnatal age increased. Conclusion: The nomograms illustrate dermal bilirubin dynamics in White term neonates during the first 4 days of life. They may be useful tools to predict individualized risk of hyperbilirubinemia requiring treatment, and to plan optimal follow-up of infants at risk of bilirubin neurotoxicity.

Accuracy of enhanced transcutaneous bilirubinometry according to various measurement sites.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to provide missing data on the accuracy of enhanced transcutaneous bilirubinometry in a monoracial population of term neonates, considering three different measurement sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Transcutaneous bilirubin was measured using the JM-105 device on the forehead, chest, and abdomen. Blood sampling for total serum bilirubin concentration has been performed within 10 minutes of transcutaneous measurements. Paired transcutaneous bilirubin and total serum bilirubin measurements were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 102 healthy term Slovak infants. The correlation between total serum bilirubin and transcutaneous bilirubin was significant (coefficient of determination R2: 0.9045 forehead, 0.8808 sternum, 0.8467 abdomen). Transcutaneous measurements underestimated serum bilirubin levels significantly when total serum bilirubin values were higher than 15 mg/dL, irrespective of the site of transcutaneous measurements. The lowest mean difference between total serum bilirubin and transcutaneous bilirubin was identified on the sternum (median: -1.1 mg/dL). The area under the curve was >0.97 and >0.93 for detecting total serum bilirubin levels >10 mg/dL and >13 mg/dL, respectively, for all measurement sites. Transcutaneous measurements on the forehead and sternum provided very high sensitivity, with the best performance at the forehead. CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous bilirubinometry using an enhanced device is an accurate, sensitive, and convenient screening method in term Caucasian neonates. Transcutaneous bilirubin measurements on the forehead, sternum, and abdomen are reliable, with the best performance on the forehead. It is necessary to confirm higher transcutaneous bilirubin values with a total serum bilirubin measurement.