Podcast 632: Neonatal Jaundice  

<p><strong>Contributor: Jared Scott, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Bilirubin is natural breakdown product of red blood cells but can be neurotoxic if levels become too high</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Fetal red blood cells are fragile and break down easier, leading to higher bilirubin levels in neonates </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Immature livers and increased intestinal absorption from sterile bowels also contribute to elevated levels and jaundice in all neonates</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Other risk factors for neonatal jaundice include: temperature instability, poor feeding, hypoxia at birth, and being of East Asian descent</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Neonatal bilirubin levels are referenced to time since birth using a nomogram to determine the need for light therapy (or exchange transfusion)</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mitra S, Rennie J.</span> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29240507/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Neonatal jaundice: aetiology, diagnosis and treatment.</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2017 Dec 2;78(12):699-704. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2017.78.12.699. PMID: 29240507.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Woodgate P, Jardine LA.</span> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25998618/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Neonatal jaundice: phototherapy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. BMJ Clin Evid. 2015 May 22;2015:0319. PMID: 25998618; PMCID: PMC4440981.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Colletti JE, Kothari S, Jackson DM, Kilgore KP, Barringer K.</span> <a href= "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17950138/"><sp