Abstract 1246 Poster Session IV, Tuesday, 5/4 (poster 361)

Phototherapy (PT) is the standard treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Because bilirubin is a yellow pigment, it absorbs only blue-green light, which leads to its alteration and subsequent removal from the body. Previous studies have reported conflicting results concerning the efficacy of blue versus green light. This disparity may be attributed to the use of light sources that provide relatively broad-spectrum light. We have developed a new PT device using the recently introduced high intensity gallium nitride LED. These LEDs have a narrow luminous spectra and therefore allow, for the first time, a comparison of blue (peak 459 nm) versus blue-green (peak 505 nm) PT. We prospectively randomized 114 jaundiced but otherwise healthy term infants to either LED or conventional PT (Microlites, contains 3 halogen bulbs) with 5-8 µW/cm2/nm at a distance of 50 cm. The LED group was further randomized to exposure to either blue or blue-green PT. Entry criteria to PT followed the American Academy of Pediatrics' Practice Parameter. Serum total bilirubin (STB) was measured with an AO Unistat Bilirubinometer every 4-6h. Statistical significance between LED and conventional PT was analyzed by the General Linear Models Procedure using the SAS system. (Table)

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We conclude that blue LED and conventional PT were more effective than blue-green LED PT, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. The lower efficacy to blue-green PT is consistent with our recent in vitro observations (Pediatr Res 1998;44:804-9).