abstract
- [corrected] 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.In all, 31 infants were followed with serum and transcutaneous bilirubins using BiliChek trade mark at two skin sites.For inpatients average chest bilirubin was 0.4 mg/dl (7 micromol/l) higher than serum while brow was 0.3 mg/dl (5 micromol/l) lower. For outpatients, skin readings from both sites underestimated serum values. Chest estimates were 0.6 mg/dl (10 micromol/l) lower; brow was 2.1 mg/dl (36 micromol/l) lower (p<0.0001). Correlation coefficients and mean differences between skin and serum values for Hispanic and non-Hispanic infants were similar.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.