The clinical application of transcutaneous bilirubinometry in full-term Chinese infants.
The pattern of jaundice in Chinese full-term newborns has seldom been explored. This study was to 1) investigate the correlation between transcutaneous bilirubin indices (TcB) and serum bilirubin levels; 2) use TcB to follow the pattern of jaundice in Chinese full-term newborns; and 3) compare the sensitivity and specificity of TcB measured from the forehead (TcB1), and mid-sternum (TcB2) by receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves). From April 1 to August 31, 1989, a total of 3217 TcB were obtained from 305 inborn full-term newborns (male 175, female 130) during their first 6 days of life. The correlation between serum bilirubin levels and TcB measured from the forehead (TcB1) and from the mid-sternum (TcB2) was good (r = 0.82 and 0.86 respectively). For formula-fed infants, both TcB1 (16.3 +/- 3.0) and TcB2 (16.6 +/- 2.7) reached peak levels at 78-84 hours of age, while in mixed-fed infants, peak levels were noted at 54-60 and 84-90 hours for TcB1 (17.2 +/- 2.2) and TcB2 (16.6 +/- 2.6) respectively. The incidence of hyperbilirubinemia was 5.9 per cent. There were no differences in peak TcB levels between formula-fed and mixed-fed infants. The ROC curves suggested that TcB2 is better than TcB1 in sensitivity and specificity. It is concluded that TcB is a reliable device for monitoring jaundice in Chinese full-term newborns. Peak level of jaundice occurred at the third to fourth day of age. The incidence of hyperbilirubinemia in Chinese infants has decreased, for reasons which need further investigation.
Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Y J
YJ
Lin
S H
SH
Ju
C H
CH
Lin
D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male
D001663:Bilirubin