The accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin measurements in neonates: a correlation study.
A prospective observational study was conducted on 212 neonates born between 24 and 42 weeks of gestation who required blood sampling to determine total serum bilirubin (TSB) in the first week of life, prior to phototherapy. The transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements were performed on the infant's forehead using BiliCheck within +/-30 min of a blood sample being drawn. There was significant (r = 0.78) correlation between bilirubin levels obtained transcutaneously and those measured in the infant's blood. The correlation was not affected by birth weight and was dependent on the bilirubin levels. The negative nonsignificant correlation appears when TSB levels are greater than 11 mg/dl. Thus, TcB measurements can accurately predict TSB values lower than 11 mg/dl in a multiracial preterm and term neonatal population.
Nanjundaswamy
Shakuntala
S
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Petrova
Anna
A
Mehta
Rajeev
R
Bernstein
William
W
Hegyi
Thomas
T
D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D001724:Birth Weight; D044383:Black People; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods; D004566:Electrodes; D005865:Gestational Age; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D044465:White People
D001663:Bilirubin