LED versus daylight phototherapy at low irradiance in newborns ≥35 weeks of gestation: randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the decline in TSB after 24 h of LED or fluorescent phototherapy from below in breastfed neonates ≥35 weeks of gestation.

METHODS

Seventy-four neonates treated with a 17-bulb blue LED were compared with 76 neonates treated with a 7-bulb daylight device in a rooming-in unit. Spectral irradiance was measured at 5 points on a 30 × 60 cm rectangle on the gel transparent mattress.

RESULTS

TSB of 14.0 ± 1.2 mg/dL at 64 ± 15 h after birth when starting phototherapy were similar in both groups. TSB declined by 0.16 ± 0.09 in the LED versus 0.16 ± 0.08 mg/dL/hour in the daylight group after 24 h of therapy (p = 0.87). Mean irradiance (μW/cm(2)/nm) was 10.5 ± 0.9 (32.5 at the central, 5.9 at the superior and 3.9 for the inferior points) in the LED versus 8.7 ± 0.6 (range, 8.3 to 9.8) in the daylight group (p < 0.001). Hypothermia (<36.0 °C) was more frequent in LED than in fluorescent (23% versus 9%; p = 0.02) group.

CONCLUSION

LED with heterogeneous irradiance was as effective as daylight phototherapy with homogeneous irradiance; however there is a greater need for rigorous control of the room temperature (NCT01340339).