The value of Bilicheck as a screening tool for neonatal jaundice in term and near-term babies.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the accuracy of Bilicheck in assessing serum bilirubin. To evaluate the effectiveness of Bilicheck as a screening device in a population of jaundiced term and near-term babies.


METHODS
Prospective evaluation of paired Bilicheck measurements and serum bilirubin in 300 babies.


RESULTS
There was a strong correlation between Bilicheck and serum bilirubin. The mean difference between Bilicheck and serum bilirubin was -10.7 micromol/l, but the 95% limits of agreement were wide at -80 micromol/l to +60 micromol/l. Bilicheck identified significant jaundice (serum bilirubin above 250 micromol/l) with a sensitivity (95% confidence interval) of 91% (88% to 94%) and specificity of 66% (60% to 71%). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.85. There were five false negatives, all of whom had a serum bilirubin below 300 micromol/l. If Bilicheck had been used as a screening device, there would have been a 55% decrease in blood samples taken in these babies.


CONCLUSIONS
Bilicheck cannot be used to measure serum bilirubin in term and near-term babies with jaundice, but is an effective screening method, which can be used to safely reduce the number of blood tests in these babies.
Samanta
S
S
Neonatal Unit, Liverpool Women's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Tan
M
M
Kissack
C
C
Nayak
S
S
Chittick
R
R
Yoxall
C W
CW
D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D001663:Bilirubin