1Lecturer, Lakshmibai Batra College of Nursing, New Delhi
2Associate Professor, Himalayan College of Nursing, Dehradun
3Assistant Professor, Himalayan College of Nursing, Dehradun
Online published on 3 October, 2015.
One of the most common causes of hospitalization of neonates is hyperbilirubinemia, as 60% of term neonates and 80% of pre-term neonates are affected in the first week of life.
Randomized control trials were followed to obtain error free results. In this research trial 30 term and pre-term neonates with physiological jaundice were selected. They were randomized into groups. Control group received conventional phototherapy without cover around the apparatus and the other group received conventional phototherapy with white reflecting curtains around the phototherapy unit. After enrolment, total serum bilirubin was measured at baseline, (before phototherapy), after 24 hours and 48 hours of phototherapy. Phototherapy was continued until the total serum bilirubin decreased to or less than 12.5 mg/dl.
Phototherapy was effective in decreasing bilirubin levels in both experimental as well as in control group, but the response was faster in the experimental group than the control group; (9.1 ± 0.9 vs. 12.4 ± 1.8.7, p<0.05), (4.7± 0.9 vs. 9.4 ± 2.1, p<0.05) at different intervals. In the treatment of significant hyperbilirubinemia, there is rapid and effective bilirubin reduction in where white reflecting curtain were used group than the group without curtains due to higher spectral irradiance and larger body surface area being exposed to phototherapy.
This study demonstrated that phototherapy with white reflecting curtain is an effective in the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia requiring intensive phototherapy without evidence of increased adverse effects.
Neonates, Phototherapy, Serum Bilirubin, White reflecting Curtains
