Technical Report Provides Support for Clinicians on Phototherapy Use to Prevent Severe Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

ITASCA, IL—The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a technical report as guidance for clinicians, “Phototherapy to Prevent Severe Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation,” in the September 2024 Pediatrics (published online August 26). Phototherapy is a treatment used when a baby shows signs of jaundice, such as yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, within days after birth. The light used in phototherapy makes it easier for a baby's liver to break down and remove the substance bilirubin from the blood.  Excess bilirubin, one of the body’s waste products found in bile and processed by the liver, can cause brain injury. When implemented in a timely manner and performed with standardized procedures, phototherapy is a predominantly safe and noninvasive therapy that minimizes risks of brain injury. The report summarizes the principles and application of phototherapy consistent with the current 2022 AAP “Clinical Practice Guideline Revision for the Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation.” Technical reports created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics. 

##

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.