Neonatal
Jaundice
Some degree of neonatal
jaundice often occurs in premature babies as the liver is
not yet functioning properly. The liver may have difficulties
in removing a substance called bilirubin at a fast enough
rate and therefore the level of bilirubin in the blood increases.
Bilirubin is a chemical
that is released into the blood stream when the red blood
cells (RBCs) breakdown. RBC usually live only a few weeks
and are constantly broken down and new ones are formed. After
birth the baby does not need as many RBCs as before birth
so the rate of breakdown is quite high during the first few
days of life. If the liver cannot remove the bilirubin efficiently
and the levels of bilirubin in the blood become very high
then there is the risk that this might cause brain damage
to the baby.
In order to avoid the risk
of brain damage the baby undergoes phototherapy,
this is a very simple procedure in which the baby is placed
under a blue light, this blue light breaks down the bilirubin.
In some exceptional cases the doctor may have to perform an
exchange transfusion during which the baby’s blood is
replaced with fresh bilirubin-free blood.
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