THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERUM BILIRUBIN AND RESERVE ALBUMIN FOR BINDING OF BILIRUBIN DURING PHOTOTHERAPY OF PRETERM INFANTS

ABSTRACT. Ebbesen, F. (Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark). The relationship between serum bilirubin and reserve albumin for binding of bilirubin during phototherapy of preterm infants. Acta Paediatr Scand, 70:405, 1981.–Thirty-four preterm newborn infants suffering from uncomplicated hyperbilirubinaemia were studied. The infants received ordinary phototherapy continuously during 48 hours. The serum unconjugated bilirubin concentration decreased significantly during the treatment, and a significant correlation between the changes in the serum bilirubin concentration and the changes in the serum reserve albumin concentration for binding of bilirubin measured by the ¹⁴C]MADDS method was found. The regression coefficients were -0.50 and -0.48 after 24 and 48 hours of treatment, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that the risk of bilirubin encephalopathy is reduced by phototherapy in preterm infants.