TY - JOUR T1 - Attempt to improve transcutaneous bilirubinometry: a double blinded study Medick BiliMed versus Respironics BiliCheck JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition JO - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed DO - 10.1136/adc.2007.121053 AU - Daniele De Luca AU - Enrico Zecca AU - Mirta Corsello AU - Eloisa Tiberi AU - Carla Semeraro AU - Costantino Romagnoli Y1 - 2007/11/15 UR - http://fn.bmj.com/content/early/2007/11/15/adc.2007.121053.abstract N2 - Objectives: To compare the accuracy of a new transcutaneous bilirubinometer (BiliMed® Medick SA, Paris, France) with BiliCheckTM (Respironics, Marietta, GA- USA), a widely available instrument, and with total serum bilirubin measurement. Design: We conducted a prospective double blinded study comparing two devices. 686 healthy newborns needing their bilirubin measured were enrolled over a 4 month-period. Serum and transcutaneous bilirubin measurements were taken with both devices within 15 minutes. The order of use of the instruments was randomized. Setting: Well-baby nursery ward in a University Hospital, tertiary referral centre. Results: The linear regression analysis showed a better correlation between BiliCheckTM and serum bilirubin (r = 0.75) than between BiliMed® and serum bilirubin (r = 0.45). BiliCheckTM variability (± 2 S.D. of the mean bias from serum bilirubin) was within -5.1/+3.7 mg/dl, while BiliMed® variability was within -5.7/+7.1 mg/dl. The ROC analysis (for serum bilirubin levels > 12 mg/dl or > 14 mg/dl) showed significantly higher areas under the curve for BiliCheckTM than those for BiliMed® ( p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Despite the potential practical advantages of BiliMed® , the reduced diagnostic accuracy in comparison to BiliCheckTM does not justify its use in clinical practice. ER -