Utility of Jaundice Surveillance and Bilirubin Screening in Identifying Neonates Who Qualify for Phototherapy ≤24 Hours after Birth.

Objective: To assess the utility of jaundice surveillance and routine 24 hour bilirubin screening in identifying neonates who qualify for phototherapy (PT) at ≤24 hours after birth.

Study Design: In this retrospective, single-center observational study, records of neonates ≥35 weeks gestation born to O+, antibody negative mothers (n = 6098) were screened to identify who received PT at ≤24 hours after birth. The hour specific TSB at which neonates qualified for PT, blood type, direct antiglobulin test (DAT), and whether treatment was triggered by jaundice detection at <24 hours or the 24-hour bilirubin screen were determined.