OBJECTIVE: To compare transcutaneous and plasma bilirubin measurements before and during phototerapy, on exposed and covered body areas, and to verify the association of the obtained levels with neonatal characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 44 newborn infants from April to October 2008. Simultaneous plasmatic and transcutaneous (frontal and sternal regions) bilirubin assays were performed before and 24 hours after the beginning of phototerapy. On frontal and sternal regions, a small cover was placed and transcutaneous measurement was obtained from covered and exposed adjacent areas. The association between the measurements and neonatal weigh, sex, race, gestational and postnatal ages and risk factors for severe hyperbilirubinemia was calculated. RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between plasma and transcutaneous bilirubin assays measured in the frontal and sternal regions before the phototerapy, with narrow 95 and 99% confidence intervals. The covered sternal area presented the strongest correlation index 24 hours after phototherapy (r=0.86; p<0.001). No neonatal characteristic was significantly associated to the bilirubin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Transcutaneous measurements of frontal and sternal areas closely correlate with plasma bilirubin levels before starting phototerapy. After 24 hours on phototerapy, the transcutaneous sternal measurement on the covered area showed better correlation.
jaundice; hyperbilirubinemia, neonatal; phototherapy; infant, newborn
