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Comparison of Skin Sites for Estimating Serum Total Bilirubin in In-Patients and Out-Patients: Chest Is Superior to Brow

Journal of Perinatology volume 24, pages 541–543 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

OBEJECTIVE: To compare transcutaneous bilirubin readings from the chest and forehead of inpatient and outpatient infants to investigate whether one site is more accurate for estimating serum bilirubin concentration.

METHODS: In all, 31 infants were followed with serum and transcutaneous bilirubins using BiliChek™ at two skin sites.

RESULTS: For inpatients average chest bilirubin was 0.4 mg/dl (7 μmol/l) higher than serum while brow was 0.3 mg/dl (5μmol/l) lower. For outpatients, skin readings from both sites underestimated serum values. Chest estimates were 0.6 mg/dl (10 μmol/l) lower; brow was 2.1 mg/dl (36 μmol/l) lower (p<0.0001). Correlation coefficients and mean differences between skin and serum values for Hispanic and non-Hispanic infants were similar.

CONCLUSIONS: In our inpatients, chest and brow readings approximated serum values. After discharge, brow readings were lower than serum values by almost 20%, while chest readings were underestimated by 5%. We recommend using the chest for transcutaneous bilirubin estimates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Ronald L Poland MD, Carol Hartenberger MPH, Helen McHenry RNC & Andrew Hsi MD

Authors
  1. Ronald L Poland MD
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  2. Carol Hartenberger MPH
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  3. Helen McHenry RNC
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  4. Andrew Hsi MD
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Additional information

This work was supported in part by the University of New Mexico Clinical Research Center (NIH NCRR GCRC Grant 5M01 RR0997) and the Wellspring Pharmaceutical Corporation, Neptune, NJ, USA.

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Poland, R., Hartenberger, C., McHenry, H. et al. Comparison of Skin Sites for Estimating Serum Total Bilirubin in In-Patients and Out-Patients: Chest Is Superior to Brow. J Perinatol 24, 541–543 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7211141

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