Download PDF
Am J Perinatol 2015; 32(08): 779-784
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1396685
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Broad-Spectrum Light versus Blue Light for Phototherapy in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Simone Pratesi
1   Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research, and Children's Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Sandra Di Fabio
2   Department of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, San Salvatore Hospital, L'Aquila, Italy
,
Cecilia Bresci
1   Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research, and Children's Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Cecilia Di Natale
2   Department of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, San Salvatore Hospital, L'Aquila, Italy
,
Shahar Bar
1   Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research, and Children's Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Carlo Dani
1   Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research, and Children's Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

30 April 2014

08 October 2014

Publication Date:
29 December 2014 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Phototherapy is standard care for treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Our aim was to compare the effectiveness of broad-spectrum light (BSL) to that of blue light emitting diodes (LED) phototherapy for the treatment of jaundiced late preterm and term infants. Infants with gestational age from 35+0 to 41+6 weeks of gestation and nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia were randomized to treatment with BSL phototherapy or blue LED phototherapy. A total of 20 infants were included in the blue LED phototherapy group and 20 in the BSL phototherapy group. The duration of phototherapy was lower in the BSL than in the blue LED phototherapy group (15.8 ± 4.9 vs. 20.6 ± 6.0 hours; p = 0.009), and infants in the former group had a lower probability (p = 0.015) of remaining in phototherapy than infants in the latter. We concluded that BSL phototherapy is more effective than blue LED phototherapy for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia in late preterm and term infants. Our data suggest that these results are not due to the different irradiance of the two phototherapy systems, but probably depend on their different peak light emissions.

Keywords

neonatal hyperbilirubinemia - phototherapy - jaundice - infant

Funding

The authors declare that the present study was funded autonomously.


 

  • References

  • 1 AAP Subcommittee on Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia. Neonatal jaundice and kernicterus. Pediatrics 2001; 108 (3) 763-765
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 2 American Academy of Pediatrics Subcommittee on Hyperbilirubinemia. Management of hyperbilirubinemia in the newborn infant 35 or more weeks of gestation. Pediatrics 2004; 114 (1) 297-316
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 3 Ebbesen F, Madsen P, Støvring S, Hundborg H, Agati G. Therapeutic effect of turquoise versus blue light with equal irradiance in preterm infants with jaundice. Acta Paediatr 2007; 96 (6) 837-841
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 4 Ennever JF. Blue light, green light, white light, more light: treatment of neonatal jaundice. Clin Perinatol 1990; 17 (2) 467-481
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Maisels MJ. Phototherapy—traditional and nontraditional. J Perinatol 2001; 21 (Suppl. 01) S93-S97 , discussion S104–S107
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Seidman DS, Moise J, Ergaz Z , et al. A prospective randomized controlled study of phototherapy using blue and blue-green light-emitting devices, and conventional halogen-quartz phototherapy. J Perinatol 2003; 23 (2) 123-127
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 7 Sivanandan S, Chawla D, Misra S, Agarwal R, Deorari AK. Effect of sling application on efficacy of phototherapy in healthy term neonates with nonhemolytic jaundice: a randomized conrolled trial. Indian Pediatr 2009; 46 (1) 23-28
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Silva I, Luco M, Tapia JL , et al. Single vs. double phototherapy in the treatment of full-term newborns with nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2009t; 85 (5) 455-458
    PubMed
  • 9 Borgard JP, Szymanowicz A, Pellae I, Szmidt-Adjidé V, Rota M. Determination of total bilirubin in whole blood from neonates: results from a French multicenter study. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006; 44 (9) 1103-1110
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Maisels MJ, McDonagh AF. Phototherapy for neonatal jaundice. N Engl J Med 2008; 358 (9) 920-928
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 11 Maisels MJ, Kring EA, DeRidder J. Randomized controlled trial of light-emitting diode phototherapy. J Perinatol 2007; 27 (9) 565-567
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 12 Pratesi R, Ronchi L, Cecchi G , et al. Skin optics and phototherapy of jaundice. Photochem Photobiol 1984; 40 (1) 77-83
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 13 Donzelli GP, Pratesi S, Rapisardi G, Agati G, Fusi F, Pratesi R. 1-day phototherapy of neonatal jaundice with blue-green lamp. Lancet 1995; 346 (8968) 184-185
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 14 Vecchi C, Donzelli GP, Migliorini MG, Sbrana G. Green light in phototherapy. Pediatr Res 1983; 17 (6) 461-463
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 15 Vecchi C, Donzelli GP, Sbrana G, Pratesi R. Phototherapy for neonatal jaundice: clinical equivalence of fluorescent green and “special” blue lamps. J Pediatr 1986; 108 (3) 452-456
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 16 Ayyash H, Hadjigeorgiou E, Sofatzis I, Dellagrammaticas H, Sideris E. Green or blue light phototherapy for neonates with hyperbilirubinaemia. Arch Dis Child 1987; 62 (8) 843-845
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 17 Amato M, Inaebnit D. Clinical usefulness of high intensity green light phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal jaundice. Eur J Pediatr 1991; 150 (4) 274-276
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 18 Tridente A, De Luca D. Efficacy of light-emitting diode versus other light sources for treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Paediatr 2012; 101 (5) 458-465
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 19 Kumar P, Chawla D, Deorari A. Light-emitting diode phototherapy for unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia in neonates. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011; 7 (12) CD007969
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar