Jaundice – Neonatal Evaluation & Treatment

Pathophysiology:
Inheritance:
Demographics:
Signs/Symptoms:
Diagnosis:
Management:
Critical Times for Affected Patients:

• Occasionally infants with jaundice will come to the Emergency Department from villages for the express purposes of checking a serum total and direct bilirubin. Since this lab test takes considerable time to return, a general recommendation is to sequester this child and mother in either the quiet room or in another area away from the general ED population while awaiting test results. If the child is ill appearing, or has other complaints such as fever, of course have them evaluated in the main ED per guideline.

If the infant was born in the YKHC OB department and recently discharged and the OB nurses are not too busy, they will sometimes agree to draw the labs so that the infant does not need to get exposed to the ED waiting room.

Resources/References

• Bilitool Calculator
• Subcommittee on Hyperbilirubinemia. Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation. Pediatrics July 2004, 114 (1) 297-316; DOI: doi.org/10.1542/peds.114.1.297
• Fisher et al. Jaundice and Breast-Feeding Among Alaskan Eskimo Newborns.
• ANMC Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant Guideline
• [[media:Jaundice_neonatal.pdf|YKHC Guidelines for Neonatal Jaundice]. Am J Dis Child. 1978;132(9):859-861. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1978.02120340035005

YKHC Clinical Guidelines
Common/Unique Medical Diagnoses