A clinical study on the effects of exchange transfusion and intensive phototherapy on neurodevelopment in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia / 中国新生儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the effects of exchange transfusion(ET) and intensive phototherapy (IPT) on neurodevelopment in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia reaching ET criteria.Method From January 2015 to March 2016,neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia reaching ET criteria with gestational age ≥35 weeks,and hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology of our hospital were enrolled in the study.The parents were informed of the risks of acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE) and both the advantages and disadvantages of IPT and ET.Based on the different choices of their parents,the neonates were assigned into the ET group and the IPT group.General conditions,treatment effects,the incidences of ABE and the prognosis were recorded and analyzed.Result A total of 335 patients were included in this study,147 in the ET group and 188 in the IPT group.Before intervention,the peak of total serum bilirubin (TSB) in ET group (475.8± 100.6 μmol/L) was higher than IPT group (398.3±39.8 μmol/L) (the difference of TSB between two groups was 77.4 μmol/L,P＜0.001),and the incidences of high risk factors such as blood incompatibilities,sepsis,cranial hematoma and intracranial hemorrhage in ET group were higher than IPT group (P＜0.05).Compared with at admission,the incidence of ABE in the ET group increased from 32.0％ to 34.0％ at discharge,mainly due to moderate and severe ABE (the ratio of moderate ABE increased from 2.7％ to 10.2％,and severe ABE increase from 2.7％ to 4.8％).Statistically significant differences existed in the proportion of ABE with different severity at admission and discharge in ET group (P＜0.05),while that in IPT group wasn't statistically significant.241 patients were followed up (follow-up rate 71.9％),with the age ranging from 20 to 36 months.6 cases (5.7％,6/106) in the ET group showed hearing disorder while none (0％,0/135) in the IPT group (P＜0.05).The incidences of neuromotor dyskinesia,language development disorder and spasm in ET group were higher than IPT group(7.5％ vs.3.7％,3.8％ vs.1.5％,4.7％ vs.4.4％,respectively),but the differences weren't statistically significant(P＞ 0.05).No deaths were observed in both groups.Conclusion In neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia whose TSB exceeding the upper limit of current ET criteria (and within upper limit+5 mg/dl),if the neonates have no risk factors nor clinical symptoms of moderate or severe ABE,only IPT and without ET does not increase the incidence of unfavourable prognosis of central nervous system.