Successful Treatment of Hyperbilirubinemia by Monitoring Serum Unbound Bilirubin in an Extremely Preterm Infant with Bacterial Infection.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections and some antibiotics show displacer effects on bilirubin-albumin binding and increase unbound bilirubin (UB) but not total bilirubin (TB) in serum. METHODS: A case study was conducted to show a successful treatment of hyperbilirubinemia by monitoring UB. RESULTS: In an extremely preterm infant with bloodstream bacterial infection caused by methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci, 2 days after high-dose ampicillin and regular-dose amikacin were initiated, UB markedly increased, but TB did not. After vancomycin was substituted, UB decreased immediately with phototherapy and intravenous albumin infusion. CONCLUSIONS: When using antibiotics, the clinicians should be mindful regarding the displacer effect on bilirubin-albumin binding.