Abstract
BackgroundThis study aims to investigate the reliability of the Dräger Jaundice Meter JM-105 for the screening of neonatal jaundice in Malay neonates.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital involving 130 jaundiced neonates requiring serum bilirubin determination from day 2 to day 7 of life.ResultsThe mean total serum bilirubin (TSB) was 232 μmol/L, whereas the mean transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measured at the forehead and sternum were 222 μmol/L and 223 μmol/L, respectively. Further, TcB underestimates TSB with a mean difference of 10.10 μmol/L at the forehead and 9.27 μmol/L at the sternum. A positive linear relationship was observed between TSB with TcB forehead (r = 0.82) and TcB sternum (r = 0.80). A good discriminations ability was observed for both the TcB forehead (receiver operating characteristics [ROC] curve = 89.8%) and sternum (ROC curve = 89.7%) at a TSB level of 205 μmol/L. The sensitivity ranges from 84.4% to 85.3%, while the specificity ranges from 77.4% to 76.4%.ConclusionOur study demonstrates a strong linear relationship and good diagnostic accuracy of TcB values compared to TSB values. To conclude, TcB measured at the forehead or sternum is a good alternative as a non-invasive screening tool for non-severe hyperbilirubinemia in Malay neonates.
Highlights
Neonatal jaundice is one of the commonest causes of hospital admission during the first week after birth
The results indicate that total serum bilirubin (TSB)’s mean was significantly higher than the mean of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measured at the forehead (P = 0.019) and sternum (P = 0.048)
The diagnostic accuracy of the TcB measured at the forehead and sternum at a TSB level of 205 mmol/L indicates that there are not much differences in term of sensitivity, specificity, positive as well as negative predictive values (Table 3)
Summary
Neonatal jaundice is one of the commonest causes of hospital admission during the first week after birth. It is occurs due to hyperbilirubinemia [1, 2]. But severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia can lead to bilirubin encephalopathy (kernicterus). Kernicterus is associated with a high mortality rate and survivors usually suffer from complications such as athetoid cerebral palsy, high-frequency hearing loss and intellectual disability [3]. Severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and its sequelae can be prevented with appropriate serum bilirubin monitoring and early treatment involving phototherapy or exchange blood transfusion. The total serum bilirubin (TSB) measured by the biochemical laboratory is still considered a gold standard, Malays J Med Sci. 2022;29(1):. This study aims to investigate the reliability of the Dräger Jaundice Meter JM-105 for the screening of neonatal jaundice in Malay neonates
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