Can transcutaneous bilirubin levels obtained from covered skin replace serum bilirubin measurement in neonates undergoing phototherapy?

IF 0.9 4区医学 Q4 MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL

Asian Biomedicine Pub Date : 2025-09-02 eCollection Date: 2025-08-01 DOI:10.2478/abm-2025-0025

M Fatih Ozden, Dilek Kahvecioglu, Melda Tas, Aslihan Kose Cetinkaya, Ahmet Oktem

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Transcutaneous bilirubinometers provide a non-invasive method to estimate total serum bilirubin (TSB) using multiwavelength reflectance. However, their accuracy during phototherapy (PT) remains controversial due to decreased dermal bilirubin.

Objective: To assess the correlation between TSB and transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measured from covered and exposed skin areas before, during, and after PT.

Methods: In this prospective study, 70 neonates undergoing PT were assessed. TcB measurements were obtained from the exposed sternum and the forehead, which were covered with an aluminum-coated radiopaque patch. TSB and TcB values were measured before PT, at 24 h during treatment, and 8 h post-treatment. The agreement between TSB and TcB values was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results: TcB values of covered skin showed significant correlation with TSB at all-time points (ICC = 0.665 for pre-PT, ICC = 0.520 at 24 h, and ICC = 0.537 for post-treatment). TcB values of exposed skin showed poor correlation during and after PT. Mean differences between covered TcB and TSB remained within acceptable limits (<1 mg/dL).

Conclusion: TcB measurements from covered skin offer a reliable, non-invasive alternative to serum bilirubin levels in neonates receiving PT, reducing the need for repeated blood draws.

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在接受光疗的新生儿中，从被覆盖的皮肤获得经皮胆红素水平是否可以替代血清胆红素测量？

背景：经皮胆红素计提供了一种利用多波长反射来估测血清总胆红素（TSB）的无创方法。然而，由于皮肤胆红素降低，它们在光疗（PT）期间的准确性仍然存在争议。目的：探讨TSB与经皮胆红素（TcB）的相关性。方法：在这项前瞻性研究中，对70例接受PT的新生儿进行了评估。TcB测量来自暴露的胸骨和前额，这是覆盖有铝涂层的不透射线贴片。分别于治疗前、治疗中24 h和治疗后8 h测定TSB和TcB值。使用类内相关系数（ICC）评价TSB和TcB值之间的一致性。结果：被覆盖皮肤TcB值与TSB在各时间点呈显著相关（治疗前ICC = 0.665, 24 h ICC = 0.520，治疗后ICC = 0.537）。暴露皮肤的TcB值在PT期间和之后显示出较差的相关性。覆盖TcB和TSB之间的平均差异仍在可接受的范围内(结论：覆盖皮肤的TcB测量为接受PT的新生儿提供了可靠的、无创的血清胆红素水平替代方法，减少了重复抽血的需要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Asian Biomedicine 医学-医学：研究与实验

CiteScore

1.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Asian Biomedicine: Research, Reviews and News (ISSN 1905-7415 print; 1875-855X online) is published in one volume (of 6 bimonthly issues) a year since 2007. [...]Asian Biomedicine is an international, general medical and biomedical journal that aims to publish original peer-reviewed contributions dealing with various topics in the biomedical and health sciences from basic experimental to clinical aspects. The work and authorship must be strongly affiliated with a country in Asia, or with specific importance and relevance to the Asian region. The Journal will publish reviews, original experimental studies, observational studies, technical and clinical (case) reports, practice guidelines, historical perspectives of Asian biomedicine, clinicopathological conferences, and commentaries Asian biomedicine is intended for a broad and international audience, primarily those in the health professions including researchers, physician practitioners, basic medical scientists, dentists, educators, administrators, those in the assistive professions, such as nurses, and the many types of allied health professionals in research and health care delivery systems including those in training.