[Behavior of neonates with hyperbilirubinemia treated with blue light]

Two groups of fullterm newborns were polygraphically examined. The first group consisted of 10 newborns with hyperbilirubinemia treated by phototherapy, the second group was a control one and consisted also of 10 newborns. The polygrams were made at the age of four days. The length of the sleep cycle, the length of quiet and paradoxical sleep, respiratory rate during both sleep states, the frequency of rapid eye movements during paradoxical sleep, the frequency of EMG discharges during paradoxical sleep, the number of sleep apneas during paradoxical sleep and the incidence of body movements during the whole recording time (100 minutes) were assessed. There were no significant differences in majority of parameters, only the length of paradoxical sleep and the number of sleep apneas were significantly higher in infants with hyperbilirubinemia. Infants with higher levels of bilirubin had longer sleep cycle, longer paradoxical sleep and lower incidence of body movements. Large individual differences in all parameters studied were observed, especially in infants with hyperbilirubinemia. This indicates that special observational care should be given to these infants.