Noninvasive Determination of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: Standardization for Variation in Skin Color

Nehama Linder; Aryeh Regev; Gal Gazit; Michael Carplus; Avigdor Mandelberg; Israel Tamir; Brian Reichman

doi:10.1055/s-2008-1040751

American Journal of Perinatology, Table of Contents

Am J Perinatol 1994; 11(3): 223-225
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1040751

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Noninvasive Determination of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: Standardization for Variation in Skin Color

Nehama Linder, Aryeh Regev, Gal Gazit, Michael Carplus, Avigdor Mandelberg, Israel Tamir, Brian Reichman

Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem; Department of Neonatology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine (N.L., G.G., B.R.), Tel Aviv, and Soroka Medical Center, Ben Gurion University (M.C.), Beer-Sheba Israel

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The estimation of plasma bilirubin concentration in neonates, using a transcutaneous, noninvasive jaundice meter, is significantly affected by many factors, such as gestatfonal age, birthweight, phototherapy, and skin pigmentation. In an attempt to minimize the influence of skin color and hence circumvent the need for standardization curves for different ethnic populations, we obtained noninvasive jaundice meter readings from the infant's midsternum within 4 hours of birth and subtracted this measurement from subsequent reading in infants with hyperbilirubinemia. These results were correlated with simultaneous plasma bilirubin determinations. By this method, a single standardization curve and improved sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for the noninvasive determination of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in a population of mixed ethnic origin was obtained.

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