Outcome of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Kernicterus occurs in infants around the world. This study examined the outcomes of various treatments for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (NH) used in the Khulna Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: All of the jaundiced newborns in the neonatal ward between 2005 and 2008 were included in the study. Total serum bilirubin and fractional levels were measured in all cases, regardless of the degree of jaundice. NH was classified as mild, moderate or severe depending on the bilirubin level; mild NH was treated with a sunbath, moderate NH was treated with phototherapy, and severe NH was treated with exchange transfusion. Results: Of 1981 neonates, 426 (22%) were diagnosed with NH. Physiological jaundice (26.7%) was most common, followed by the jaundice of prematurity (20.9%). Haemolytic jaundice was primarily caused by ABO incompatibility (11.3%) and Rh incompatibility (5.4%). Exchange transfusion (ET) was performed in 22 patients; four (18.2%) died as a result of hazards that could have been avoided with skilled monitoring. Twelve (2.8%) individuals with jaundice died. Kernicterus developed in nine (2.1%) children, four of whom survived with neurological sequelae. Conclusion: ABO incompatibility is twice as common as Rh incompatibility. The majority of kernicterus patients died in the acute phase.