title: Low-cost home-use light-emitting-diode phototherapy as an alternative to conventional methods.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of our study was to evaluate whether a portable, light-weight, light-emitting-diode phototherapy unit designed for home use is as effective as conventional blue-light fluorescent phototherapy (CFP) for treating hyperbilirubinemia in neonates.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 50 patients were recruited sequentially for treatment using CFP (n = 25) and the home-type phototherapy unit (n = 25).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average rate of decrease in bilirubin levels was 0.17 ± 0.02 and 0.20 ± 0.01 mg/dL/hours at the end of 24 hours in the groups receiving phototherapy by CFP and home-type phototherapy units, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of the decrease in bilirubin levels between the groups (p = 0.104).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It has been shown that the home-type phototherapy unit is as effective as CFP units in the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and has the potential to become a standard of care for treatment of jaundiced neonates.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Gastrology, Department of Pediatrics, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aygen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Antalya Research and Training Hospital, 07030 Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Servet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozkiraz
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Antalya Research and Training Hospital, 07030 Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdullah Baris
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Akcan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Biomedical Optics Research Unit, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey canpolat@akdeniz.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canpolat
mesh_terms: D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051556:Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D001663:Bilirubin
keywords: home type; newborn; phototherapy; treatment