Published in:
01-08-2014 | Original Article
Body Temperature Changes of Newborns Under Fluorescent Versus LED Phototherapy
Published in: Indian Journal of Pediatrics | Issue 8/2014
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Objective
To determine changes in body temperature (BT) of hyperbilirubinemic newborns under conventional phototherapy with fluorescent lamps and light emitting diodes (LED) at different irradiances.
Methods
Otherwise healthy newborn infants >34 wk gestational age (GA) hospitalized for indirect hyperbilirubinemia, requiring phototherapy in the first 10 d of life were enroled. Infants who received conventional phototherapy with fluorescent lamps (10–15 μW/cm2/nm irradiance) were defined as group 1, LED phototherapy of 26–60 μW/cm2/nm irradiance as group 2, and LED phototherapy of 60–120 μW/cm2/nm irradiance as group 3. Primary outcome measure was mean BT which was defined as arithmetical mean of axillary BT measured at 2 h intervals during the first day of phototherapy.
Results
Thirty patients were enroled in each group. Mean birth weight and GA of the total cohort was 2800 ± 530 g and 36.6 ± 2 wk, respectively. Baseline demographic variables and serum total bilirubin levels were similar among groups. Mean BT was 36.7 ± 0.1 °C in group 1, 36.6 ± 0.2 °C in group 2, 37.7 ± 0.2 °C in group 3. Mean BT was higher in group 3 compared to group 1 (p < 0.001) and group 2 (p < 0.001). Group 1 and group 2 had similar mean BT measurements (p = 0.09). During phototherapy all the patients in group 3 had at least one BT measurement ≥37.5 °C and 77 % had BT ≥38 °C. Only one patient in group 2 had BT ≥ 37.5 °C which was also ≥38 °C. During phototherapy all BT measurements were <37.5 °C in group 1.
Conclusions
LED phototherapy of ≥60 μW/cm2/nm intensity significantly increases BT in hyperbilirubinemic newborns.