THE UNSOLVED PROBLEM OF KERNICTERUS IN THE SUSCEPTIBLE LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANT

[摘要] The article by Keenan, et al. 1 in this issue of Pediatrics once again calls attention to the complex, frustrating problem of kernicterus associated with low serum concentrations of bilirubin in small sick premature infants. The new and important information contained in this article is the observation that despite the use of late phototherapy and exchange transfusion, kernicterus occurred in these four infants. Kernicterus has certainly occurred before in premature infants who have received exchange transfusions.2-6 But with regard to phototherapy, the results are open to two interpretations.One view will be that phototherapy is not effective. The other will be that it has only been shown here to be ineffective when used too late to expect any effect.

[学科分类] 儿科学