Today, hospital discharge at 24 hours is common, leading to fewer observations by professionals at a time when jaundice may just be at the threshold of visibility (Poland, 2002).
For these reasons, early identification of newborn infants at risk for developing severe hyperbilirubinemia and possible bilirubin induced neurologic dysfunction has become a public health issue (Bhutani et al., 2000).
In our study we intended to test whether umbilical cord serum bilirubin might serve as a marker of subsequent significant hyperbilirubinemia during the early days of life.
We conducted our study on 200 newborn babies born in the delivery room of Benha University Hospital. Sample from umbilical cord was taken at delivery to determine umbilical cord serum bilirubin, later at the 4th day of life a venous sample was taken and jaundice meter reading on head, chest and lower limb were obtained to determine total serum bilirubin level.
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