ASSESSMENT OF EFFICACY OF PHOTOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF NEONATAL HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA

Shaik Sana Shinine*, Mulla Suraiya Tabassum, Dr. C. Venkatesh and Dr. B. Balaji Kumar

ABSTRACT

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is the most commonly observed medical condition during the early days of birth. Phototherapy is a safe and effective treatment option for newborns with hyperbilirubinemia and the use of phototherapy may prevent the need for other treatment alternatives. Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Methodology: This was a prospective observational study done on 70 cases of newborns with hyperbilirubinemia and with an inclusion criteria of age < 1 week, Total serum bilirubin concentration ranges from 13-16 mg/dl, absence of other concomitant diseases and hyperbilirubinemia not requiring exchange transfusion. The subjects were exposed to phototherapy for about 3 days, and Total serum bilirubin concentration was measured before and after exposed to phototherapy. Findings: The total mean of Total serum bilirubin concentration before exposure to phototherapy was 14.2357 mg/dl ± 0.65, while mean after phototherapy exposure was 9.2742mg/dl ± 0.65. The mean TSB concentration was measured in relation to different categories gender, body weight, feeding pattern and Intravenous fluid intake. The significance difference was observed to the categories of body weight (0.01) and feeding pattern (0.03). Conclusion: This study was concluded that phototherapy was more effective in decreasing the elevated serum bilirubin concentration in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia & also concluded that the efficacy of phototherapy may differ in subjects with different categories of body weight and mode of feeding.

Keywords: Bilirubin, Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, Phototherapy.