A Study on Effects of Phototherapy in Neonates

Background: Newborn jaundice is frequent and typically not harmful. In neonatal hospitals and postnatal wards phototherapy is commonly employed as the initial course of treatment for newborn jaundice because it is non-invasive and has a low risk of long-term side effects, it is currently the recommended course of treatment for newborn hyperbilirubinemia. Although it has some side effects like skin rash, diarrhea, electrolyte imbalance, hyperthermia, circadian rhythm dysfunction, and bronze baby syndrome. Aim: The study was conducted to know how phototherapy is effective in neonatal jaundice and to determine the side effects of phototherapy in neonates. Materials and Methods: The study was a prospective observational study that was performed through a data collection form for 9 months. The data collected include neonates' demographic details, bilirubin levels, side effects, and recovery rate. Results: The study was performed on 900 neonates in different hospitals. From this data 549 neonates are females while 351 are male neonates. Among them, 77% are normal weight while 18% and 5% are underweight and overweight respectively. Among 900 neonates 554 are with phototherapy and 346 are without phototherapy. In this 539 are recovered 15 are not recovered and neonates experienced rashes of 426 while 346, 447 experienced dehydration and skin color changes respectively. Conclusion: According to our study, we suggest that sun exposure is a natural remedy for newborn jaundice. Patients with hyperbilirubinemia require phototherapy for a minimum of 12 to 24 hours. The overall amount of bilirubin determines how long phototherapy will last.