Comparison between transcutaneous bilirubinometry and total bilirubin measurements in preterm infants < 35 weeks of gestation

摘要

Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia above defined thresholds is a relatively common treatable cause of brain injury. The decision whether to use phototherapy is currently dependent upon total serum bilirubin (TSB) assay results in combination with clinical data. TSB quantification in the laboratory is considered as the gold standard method for bilirubin estimation. However, especially in neonatology frequent measurements of bilirubin measurements are uncomfortable due to the required potentially painful needle prick for blood sampling, waiting for the results and delay of the discharge - of both the mother and the baby. To overcome these drawbacks, noninvasive transcutaneous bilirubin test devices (TcB) have been developed and introduced in clinical practice, but due to limited accuracy TcB devices have only been considered useful as screening rather than diagnostic tools for determining hyperbilirubinaemia.