COMPARISON OF SERUM BILIRUBIN MEASUREMENT IN LABORATORY AND TRANSCUTANEOUS BILIRUBINOMETRY

Background and Bili-Check is a simple method used to provide a rapid pain-free and noninvasive transcutaneous estimation of total serum bilirubin. The present study was conducted to compare estimates of serum bilirubin using Bili-Check (TCB) with total serum bilirubin (TSB) values determined in a clinical laboratory. Methods and Materials: This is a deh1ive analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Ghaem Hospital NICU from September 2008 to March 2008. With a confidence interval of 95% and test power of 80% 109 neonates were selected through convenient non-randomized sampling as the study sample. TSB was determined in a clinical laboratory using the diazo with photometric method. Then within 10 minutes transcutaneous measurements were performed via Bili-Check. Data analysis was done in SPSS11.5 using correlation coefficient. From 109 neonates included in the study 75 were male (68.8%) and 34 female (31.2%) with an age range of 1 to 26 days. Mean serum Bilirubin was 12.979 and TCB estimate was 12.219. Laboratory findings highly correlated with the results of TCB (r=0.766) (P=0.0001). Bili-Check has the sufficient adequacy as the measurement and observation device for neonates and can replace serum bilirubinometry in laboratory fro Icteric neonates.