Body temperature changes of newborns under fluorescent versus LED phototherapy

To determine changes in body temperature (BT) of hyperbilirubinemic newborns under conventional phototherapy with fluorescent lamps and light emitting diodes (LED) at different irradiances.

Otherwise healthy newborn infants >34 wk gestational age (GA) hospitalized for indirect hyperbilirubinemia, requiring phototherapy in the first 10 d of life were enrolled. Infants who received conventional phototherapy with fluorescent lamps (10-15 μW/cm(2)/nm irradiance) were defined as group 1, LED phototherapy of 26-60 μW/cm(2)/nm irradiance as group 2, and LED phototherapy of 60-120 μW/cm(2)/nm irradiance as group 3. Primary outcome measure was mean BT which was defined as arithmetical mean of axillary BT measured at 2 h intervals during the first day of phototherapy.

Thirty patients were enroled in each group. Mean birth weight and GA of the total cohort was 2800 ± 530 g and 36.6 ± 2 wk, respectively. Baseline demographic variables and serum total bilirubin levels were similar among groups. Mean BT was 36.7 ± 0.1 °C in group 1, 36.6 ± 0.2 °C in group 2, 37.7 ± 0.2 °C in group 3. Mean BT was higher in group 3 compared to group 1 (p < 0.001) and group 2 (p < 0.001). Group 1 and group 2 had similar mean BT measurements (p = 0.09). During phototherapy all the patients in group 3 had at least one BT measurement ≥ 37.5 °C and 77 % had BT ≥ 38 °C. Only one patient in group 2 had BT ≥ 37.5 °C which was also ≥ 38 °C. During phototherapy all BT measurements were <37.5 °C in group 1.

LED phototherapy of ≥ 60 μW/cm(2)/nm intensity significantly increases BT in hyperbilirubinemic newborns.