Predictive value of transcutaneous bilirubinometry on third day of birth in diagnosis of hyperbilirubinemia in term and near-term neonates

Severe hyperbilirubinemia may cause side effects such as hearing impairment or bilirubin encephalopathy. In this way, transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TCB) is a non-invasive screening method, which is performed using BiliCheck and does not require frequent blood sampling, time and cost. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of TCB on third day of birth in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia diagnosis in term and near-term neonates. A test assessment method was chosen with continuous sampling in 388 neonates 35 weeks and more at AkabarAbadi hospital in Tehran in 2011. On the third day of birth, cutaneous bilirubin levels (TCB) in the forehead by using BiliCheck and serum bilirubin (TSB) was measured from the heel capillary sample and consequently were compared with each other. In neonatal hyperbilirubinemia diagnosis on the third day of birth, cutaneous bilirubin measurement had the sensitivity of 82% with the confidence interval (78.2%, 85.7%), specificity of 99.3% with the confidence interval (98.7%, 99.9%), positive predictive value of 92.9 with the confidence interval (88.0%, 96.2%) and negative predictive value of 94.8% with the confidence interval (92.8, 96.8). Generally, the third day measurement of cutaneous bilirubin had a predictive value of 94.5% in detecting high-risk neonates for hyperbilirubinemia. Third day TCB, in addition to being non-invasive and convenient use, has a high predictive value to detecting the risk of hyperbilirubinemia in neonate and it is recommended to use hyperbilirubinemia screening