In plain words
Phototherapy is a treatment for . Special lights, or a fiber-optic blanket, shine on the baby's skin. The light changes extra into a form the body can clear. Babies often wear only a diaper, with their eyes covered. Feeding usually continues, because milk helps the body clear bilirubin. Phototherapy can be given in the hospital or, for some babies, at home with a loaned device. It is used when bilirubin levels reach a level that a guideline sets. Your provider will explain the level and how long treatment may last.
The deeper version
Phototherapy converts unconjugated bilirubin to photoisomers that are excreted without hepatic conjugation, in the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Blue light in the 460 to 490 nanometer range is most effective, and LED devices are widely used. The AAP guideline (Kemper et al., 2022) sets phototherapy thresholds by hour of life and gestational age and recommends that treatment be continued until levels fall below a defined value. Intensive phototherapy and exchange transfusion are reserved for severe . Adverse effects are generally mild, including loose stools, dehydration, and rash, and continued breastfeeding is recommended in most cases.
Where it comes up
- Newborn jaundiceBaby Basics
- Feeding a baby with jaundiceFeeding Your Baby
- Newborn procedures: vitamin K, eye ointment, hepatitis B, screeningGetting Ready for Birth
- Pediatrician visits in the first weeksBaby Basics
- The first 24 hoursBirth and the First Days
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Sources
- Kemper AR et al. — Clinical Practice Guideline Revision: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation. Pediatrics, 2022