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A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study of Phototherapy Using Blue and Blue-Green Light-Emitting Devices, and Conventional Halogen-Quartz Phototherapy

Journal of Perinatology volume 23, pages 123–127 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of blue versus blue-green phototherapy using new light sources with narrow luminous spectra. The devices made of high-intensity gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were also compared to conventional halogen-quartz bulbs phototherapy.

DESIGN: Prospective open randomized study.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 114 jaundiced, but otherwise healthy term infants who met the entry criteria for phototherapy set by the American Academy of Pediatrics' Practice Parameter.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The duration of phototherapy and the rate of decrease in total serum bilirubin (TSB).

RESULTS: The mean TSB concentrations at initiation and termination of treatment, as well as the duration of phototherapy and the rate of decrease in TSB, were not statistically different in newborns receiving blue LED, blue-green LED or conventional phototherapy. The average rate of decrease in TSB (slope), after adjustment by a linear regression analysis for confounding factors, was −3.61 μmol/hour (95% confidence limits −5.47, −1.75) in the 25 newborns receiving blue LED phototherapy compared with −2.57 μmol/hour (−4.32, −0.82) in the 22 newborns treated with blue-green LED phototherapy and −3.42 μmol/hour (−5.02, −1.81) in the 57 newborns who received conventional phototherapy.

CONCLUSIONS: When using low light irradiance, there was no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of phototherapy using blue-green LEDs, blue LEDs or conventional halogen-quartz bulbs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institute of Health, Grant HD 14426. The Hess Research Fund, the Mary L. Johnson Research Fund, and a grant from the Stanford University Office of Technology Licensing. We gratefully acknowledge the generous advice we received from Martin M. Fejer, PhD, and Rodger K. Route, PhD, during the development phase of the device. We thank Randy Reeve and Michael Philpott for technical advice on biomedical safety issues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Daniel S Seidman MD

  2. Department of Neonatology, Bikur-Cholim and Misgav Ladach Hospitals, Jerusalem

    Jonathan Moise MD, Zivanit Ergaz MD & Rena Gale MD

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Statistics Unit, Carmel Hospital, Haifa, Israel

    Arie Laor MD

  4. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Hendrik J Vreman PhD & David K Stevenson MD

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  1. Daniel S Seidman MD
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Seidman, D., Moise, J., Ergaz, Z. et al. A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study of Phototherapy Using Blue and Blue-Green Light-Emitting Devices, and Conventional Halogen-Quartz Phototherapy. J Perinatol 23, 123–127 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7210862

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