Transcutaneous Bilirubin Levels during the First Month of Life in Term and Late-preterm Newborns

Objective: We aimed to develop a transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) nomogram for assessment of the risk of significant hyperbilirubinemia and prolonged jaundice during the first month of life in term and late-preterm Turkish newborns. Methods: On the basis of the daily (3rd, 7th, 15th and 30th days) TcB measurements, 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th percentiles, and 5 percentile tracks were obtained. TcB measurements were made by a transcutaneous bilirubinometer (JaundiceDetector JH20-1C). Results: We screened 729 healthy term and late-preterm Turkish infants 3-30 days old and developed a nomogram of TcB levels. TcB level was >= 5mg/dl in 41.98% and 25.9% of infants at age 15.0 +/- 2.1 days and 30.9 +/- 2.6 days, respectively. The TcB measurement-based nomogram values of the 97th percentiles (cutoff values) at age 15.0 +/- 2.1 and 30.9 +/- 2.6 days were 11.4 (10.82-12.13) mg/dl and 10.0 (9.40-10.70) mg/dl, respectively. Conclusion: This nomogram can be used to determine the risk status of Turkish newborns regarding significant hyperbilirubinemia and prolonged jaundice on the basis of TcB measurement in the first month of life.