Fibreoptic phototherapy for neonatal jaundice

Phototherapy is used to treat newborn infants with hyperbilirubinaemia. Fibreoptic phototherapy is a new mode of phototherapy which is reported to lower serum bilirubin (SBR) while minimising disruption of normal infant care.

To evaluate the efficacy of fibreoptic phototherapy.

The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Collaboration was used including searches of the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE and discussion with experts in the field.

Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of fibreoptic phototherapy in the management of newborn infants with hyperbilirubinaemia.

Thirty-one studies were identified of which 24 met inclusion criteria. They evaluated the efficacy of fibreoptic phototherapy in a number of different clinical situations and patient populations.

Fibreoptic phototherapy was more effective at lowering SBR than no treatment but less effective than conventional phototherapy (percentage change in SBR after 24 hours of treatment: WMD -10.7%, 95%CI -18.14, -3.26 and WMD 3.59%, 95%CI 1.27, 5.92 respectively). Fibreoptic phototherapy was equally as effective as conventional phototherapy in preterm infants and when two fibreoptic devices were used simultaneously (change in SBR after 24 hours of treatment: WMD 1.7%, 95%CI -2.65, 6.05 and change in SBR per day over whole treatment period: WMD 2.82%, 95%CI -1.84, 7.48 respectively). A combination of fibreoptic and conventional phototherapy was more effective than conventional phototherapy alone (duration of phototherapy: WMD -12.51 hr, 95%CI -16.00, -9.02, meta-analysis affected by heterogeneity). No conclusion can be made on the superiority of one fibreoptic device over another as the two studies comparing them (one favouring BiliBlanket, the other finding no difference) did not contain a common outcome measure.

Fibreoptic phototherapy has a place in the management of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia. It is probably a safe alternative to conventional phototherapy in term infants with physiological jaundice. No trials have been identified which support the widely-held view that fibreoptic devices interfere less with infant care or impact less on parent-child bonding.