Novel treatment strategy for Japanese newborns with high serum unbound bilirubin
2013
Background Serum unbound
bilirubin(UB) is a measure of
bilirubinnot bound to albumin, and has been reported to be better than total
bilirubinlevel at identifying infants at risk of developing
bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity, including auditory abnormalities. A detailed treatment strategy for newborns with high serum UB has not been established. The aim of this study was to assess auditory outcomes in newborns with serum UB ≥1.00 μg/dL who were treated according to a novel treatment protocol. Methods A prospective clinical study was conducted in newborns weighing >1500 g with serum UB ≥1.00 μg/dL who were admitted to Kobe University Hospital and Kakogawa Municipal Hospital, Japan from 2006 to 2011. Enrolled newborns were treated as follows: (i) if serum UB was 1.00–1.50 μg/dL, phototherapy and infusion were given with or without albumin or immunoglobulin therapy; and (ii) if serum UB was >1.50 μg/dL,
exchange transfusionwas performed immediately.
Auditory brainstem responseswere evaluated at the time of discharge. Results A total of 89 Japanese newborns with UB ≥1.00 μg/dL were enrolled at a median age of 4 days. Of these, 85 had UB 1.00–1.50 μg/dL and four had UB >1.50 μg/dL. After being treated according to the protocol, no newborns were diagnosed with
auditory brainstem responseabnormalities. Conclusions The present treatment protocol for Japanese newborns with serum UB ≥1.00 μg/dL may be useful for the prevention of
bilirubin-induced auditory abnormalities.
Keywords:
-
Correction
-
Source
-
Cite
-
Save
27
References
9
Citations
NaN
KQI