Comparison of the efficacy of fiberoptic and conventional phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia

Abstract

A comparative evaluation of the efficacy of fiberoptic phototherapy using the Ohmeda Biliblanket fiberoptic device, conventional phototherapy using daylight fluorescent lamps, and a combination of the two forms of phototherapy was made in 165 term healthy infants and 105 preterm infants with hyperbilirubinemia. In the term infants, the 24-hour decline rate for fiberoptic phototherapy was 9.2% ± 1.6% (mean ± SEM) versus 21.5% ± 1.8% for daylight phototherapy (p < 0.01), and the overall decline rate was 0.49% ± 0.03%/hr versus 0.70% ± 0.04% hr (p