Treatment of Neonatal Jaundice

Most cases do not require medical treatment. In severe cases of Hyperbilirubinemia, phototherapy is a good option.

In the majority of cases, Neonatal Jaundice does not require medical treatment. However, if the level of serum bilirubin is very high, it needs to be controlled.

Phototherapy is an excellent way of treating Hyperbilirubinemia. The bilirubin deposited under the surface of the skin absorbs fluorescent light and is converted into a substance that can be easily excreted through urine. The infant's eyes need to be shielded to prevent excessive exposure to light. This treatment can be done in a hospital or can be carried out at home and should be continued for a few days in order to be adequately effective.
Phototherapy using fibre-optic blankets has made the treatment more practical. In this method the specially manufactured blankets are wrapped around the infant. The baby's eyes do not need to be shielded.
In extreme cases of Hyperbilirubinemia, a transfusion might become inevitable.

If left untreated, Hyperbilirubinemia due to Neonatal Jaundice can result in mental retardation, Cerebral palsy, behavioral problems, hearing loss or even loss of life.

Reference:

Mather, Cotton. The Angel of Bethesda. 1724 [Reprinted in Jones GW (ed). Barre, MA: American Antiquarian Society and Barre Publishers; 1972, p. 191.

Published on Nov 12, 2014
Last Updated on Dec 03, 2019

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vaishali9524

To prevent newborns from jaundice..keep your baby well hydrated with breast milk..and Frequent feedings [up to 12 times a day] encourage frequent bowel movements, which help remove bilirubin through the stools....

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mehak464

sir my baby billuribin ranges from 20-30 os this range is dangerous we also using phototherophy what u suggest.

avdhut85

sir my baby's billrubin is 17 for how many days phototherapy shud be don

r.arunkumar

neonatal jaundice measurement by new technology using radiation
measurement
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R.ARUNKUMAR (ECE)

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prevalence of kernicterus among Libyan full term healthy babies Discussion The results demonstrated that hyperbilirubinemia in full term otherwise healthy infants can lead to severe encephalopathy ,and what remain controversial is the bilirubin level that results in such injury, it is still undetermined whether a continuous linear relationship or a threshold level exists for bilirubin toxicity,we have noticed that all babies with serum bilirubin >40 mg developed Kernicterus ,and those with serum bilirubin ranges between 20-25mg had no kernicterus,and those with serum bilirubin ranges 25-35mg some developed Kernicterus and others had no adverse effect till now, although intellectual out come need years of follow up to declared that they are normal. we have seen that 34 babies out of 70 who received ET developed Kernicterus either because they seek medical advice late or their serum bilirubin was too high ,the other 8 babies who was not treated with ET, 5 of them developed Kernicterus on follow up . The prevalence of kernicterus among our babies was 15%,we tried to compare with worldwide prevalence.

Treatment of Neonatal Jaundice