Utility of a new transcutaneous jaundice device with two optical paths in premature infants

Hyperbilirubinemia may cause dysfunction of the central nervous system of newborn infants. Recently, a new transcutaneous bilirubin device has been developed, which is not limited by maturity or melanin concentration of the skin. However, there have been few reports limiting the subjects to preterm and very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants.

Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and total serum bilirubin (TSB) were measured within 1 h of time lag in 50 premature infants. TcB was measured with the new jaundice device on the forehead. TSB samples were measured by direct colorimetry. The correlation coefficient and regression line were calculated.

The results showed a good correlation between TcB and TSB. However, the correlation tended to be worse with infants whose birthweights were lower than 1000 g, or whose gestational ages at birth were shorter than 28 weeks.

TcB and TSB have a close correlation, and TcB tends to be higher than TSB. The Minolta transcutaneous jaundice device could be used as a screening instrument, leading to the avoidance of invasive blood samplings for preterm and VLBW infants. However, in patients whose birthweights are lower than 1000 g or whose gestational ages are shorter than 28 weeks, care must be taken when using the transcutaneous jaundice device because of low reliability in these patients.