To Study the Predictive Value of Umbilical Cord Blood Bilirubin Levels Term Neonates as Marker of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

Background: Infants who are clinically jaundiced in the first few days are more likely to develop hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperbilirubinemia is the most common medical problem in newborn infants. It is the most important cause for hospital readmissions during the early neonatal period and also the cause for neonatal morbidity. Objective: In this prospective study we are going to evaluate the predictive value of cord bilirubin level for identifying term neonates for subsequent hyperbilirubinemia. Materials and Methods: Cord bilirubin levels at birth and subsequently serum bilirubin levels at 72 h were assessed in 291 neonates. The cutoff value was estimated beyond which there was significant hyperbilirubinemia. Statistics employed include quantitative data which is expressed in terms of mean and SD and qualitative in terms of proportions and receiver operator characteristic curve used to find cut-off value and to find sensitivity and specificity. Results: The cutoff value of cord bilirubin >2 mg/dl had sensitivity and specificity of 77.97 and 56.90%, respectively, with positive predictive value of 31.51 and negative predictive value of 91.03% for subsequent hyperbilirubinemia. Conclusion: To decreases the significant burden of untreated severe neonatal jaundice, cord serum bilirubin can be used as a screening tool to identify the neonatal jaundice in term and this prediction of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia has widespread implication especially in our country where there are limited resources.