[Comparative reliability of transcutaneous bilirubinometers in full-term newborn infants].

INTRODUCTION

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is common in term newborns, and accurate monitoring is essential for the early recognition of pathological jaundice. Transcutaneous bilirubinometers offer a rapid, non-invasive screening option, although their accuracy may be influenced by several external factors.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the accuracy of three transcutaneous bilirubinometers (Dräger JM-105, BiliCare, MBJ20) used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Debrecen with capillary blood point-of-care testing (POCT) (ABL90 Flex).

METHOD: In term newborns showing clinical signs of jaundice, parallel measurements were performed with all three transcutaneous devices, followed by POCT bilirubin determination from capillary blood within one hour. Correlation was evaluated by linear regression, and agreement by Bland-Altman analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 84 newborns were included. All devices showed correlation with POCT values, the strongest for BiliCare (r = 0.63). Bland-Altman analysis showed that Dräger JM-105 and MBJ20 underestimated bilirubin levels compared to POCT (p<0.001), whereas BiliCare showed no significant bias (p = 0.93).

CONCLUSION

Among the three devices tested, BiliCare demonstrated the highest measurement accuracy, while the other two instruments tended to underestimate bilirubin levels. Transcutaneous methods should be used primarily for screening and supplemented with blood-based measurements when clinically indicated. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(25): 997-1001.