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What Is Done in Neonatal Phototherapy?

Neonatal phototherapy is a medical procedure that uses fluorescent light to cure jaundice---excess bilirubin in the blood---in newborn infants. If your baby has been diagnosed with jaundice, special equipment, including lamps, blankets and tents, help convert the bilirubin to forms that your baby can process. Neonatal phototherapy can be administered in the hospital, but your baby can also be treated at home with portable phototherapy equipment.

  1. Bilirubin

    • Bilirubin is a product of the breakdown of red cells. It is processed by the liver and is excreted in bile. Unlike older children and adults, newborns cannot process and excrete bilirubin effectively. The bilirubin is present in the blood, in the skin's small capillaries and in the skin and subcutaneous tissues, resulting in the tell-tale yellowing of the skin.

    Bililights

    • Bililights are bright, blue fluorescent lamps that are positioned over a jaundiced baby and are typically used in the hospital. Other than feeding, changing and bath times, the baby should remain constantly exposed to the bililights for the prescribed number of days. Typically, treatment with bililights lasts three to seven days.

    Biliblanket

    • Your doctor may prescribe a bili-blanket or a phototherapy tent for treating a jaundiced baby at home. Biliblankets and tents are made of woven optical fiber, which when surrounding or placed directly on the baby, direct incoming light to the baby's skin. The baby can sleep on the blanket if around-the-clock treatment is prescribed by your pediatrician.

    Improvement and Cure

    • A lessening of the yellow tint in your baby's skin is evidence that phototherapy is working. However, the hospital or your doctor will test your baby's blood to check for normal bilirubin levels.

    Risks

    • Phototherapy has been used as the primary means of treating neonatal jaundice since the 1950s and is considered extremely safe. Eye protectors or drapes protect your baby from potential eye damage, and conflicting studies debate whether the light exposure from phototherapy contributes to skin irregularities later in life.

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