title: Jaundice in the full-term newborn.
abstract: Jaundice is a common problem affecting over half of all full-term and most preterm infants. Jaundice describes the yellow orange hue of the skin caused by excessive circulating levels of bilirubin that accumulate in the skin. In most healthy full-term newborns, jaundice is noticed during the first week of life. Shortened hospital stays and inconsistent follow up, especially for first-time breastfeeding mothers, prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to update management guidelines. Health care providers need to be familiar with the diagnosis and management of jaundice to prevent brain, vision, and hearing damage. Treatment of choice for jaundice remains close observation and frequent feeding followed by phototherapy, and finally exchange transfusion for severe or refractory cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon Munro
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare; D000367:Age Factors; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D003376:Counseling; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005078:Exchange Transfusion, Whole Blood; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D007902:Length of Stay; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D009359:Neonatology; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D010789:Phototherapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors