Transcutaneous bilirubinometer: its use in Chinese term infants and the effect of haematocrit and phototherapy on the TcB index.

The application of the transcutaneous bilirubinometer in screening for neonatal jaundice was evaluated in 259 full-term Chinese infants: 202 who had not received any treatment and 57 who were receiving phototherapy. The transcutaneous bilirubin index correlated well with the serum bilirubin level (SB) of the untreated infants and the coefficient of correlation was slightly higher for TcB readings obtained over the mid-sternal area (r = 0.91; P less than 0.001) than those over the forehead (r = 0.85; P less than 0.001). Transcutaneous bilirubinometry was unreliable in predicting the SB level in infants receiving phototherapy even if the SB readings were obtained over shaded skin. The haematocrit of the infants, though having a statistically significant effect on the TcB index, contributed only minimally to the regression line and correlation coefficient between the TcB index and SB level.