Newborn jaundice

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Erythroblastosis fetalis, photomicrograph

Exchange transfusion - series

Jaundice infant

Jaundice of the newborn

Treatment is usually not necessary. Keep the baby well-hydrated with breast milk or formula. Encourage frequent bowel movements by feeding frequently. This is because bilirubin is carried out of the body by the intestines in the stools. (Bilirubin is what gives stool their brown color).

Sometimes artificial lights are used on infants whose levels are very high, or in premature infants. These lights work by helping to break down bilirubin in the skin. The infant is placed naked under artificial light in a protected isolette to maintain constant temperature. The eyes are protected from the light.

In the most severe cases of jaundice, an exchange transfusion is required. In this procedure, the baby's blood is replaced with fresh blood. Recently, promising studies have shown that treating severely jaundiced babies with intravenous immunoglobulin is very effective at reducing the bilirubin levels to safe ranges.

The jaundice usually resolves without treatment within 1 to 2 weeks.

Rare, but serious, complications from high bilirubin levels include:

• Kernicterus -- brain damage from very high bilirubin levels
• Deafness
• Cerebral palsy

Jaundice is an emergency if the baby has a fever, has become listless, or is not feeding well. Jaundice is dangerous in small, sick, and particularly acidotic newborns.

Jaundice is generally NOT dangerous in term, large newborns. Call the infant's health care provider if jaundice is severe (the skin is bright yellow), if jaundice lasts longer than 1 or 2 weeks, or if other symptoms develop. Also call the doctor if the hands and feet, particularly palms and soles, are yellow.

Call your health care provider the day your baby develops jaundice. The physician can tell you if your baby needs to be seen and if tests need to be done.

Review Date: 06/13/2006
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.