jaundice
In a new study, which appears in the October issue of Pediatrics, researchers found that high levels of bilirubin can indicate that jaundice is in danger of becoming severe.
"While we know that early identification of bilirubin levels before reaching toxic levels is important, bilirubin screening has not been universal, as physicians have decided which infants to screen based upon their degree of jaundice and clinical risk factors," study author Dr. Michael Kuzniewicz, a neonatologist at University of California San Francisco Children's Hospital, said in the news release.
The researchers examined how implementation of American Academy of Pediatrics screening guidelines affected newborn babies in Northern California medical facilities operated by Kaiser Permanente. The guidelines advise that each newborn be given a bilirubin blood test or undergo an assessment.
"This study provides evidence that universal screening during the birth hospitalization is a more effective method for monitoring bilirubin levels in order to prevent them from rising to a point that can damage an infant's brain," Kuzniewicz stated.