Question
Is neonatal jaundice exchange blood treatment common?
Answer
Neonatal jaundice exchange blood treatment is generally not a major concern, but if jaundice recurs within 24 hours of birth, with a daily serum bilirubin increase exceeding 5 mg/dL or more than 0.5 mg/dL per hour, and persists for more than 2 weeks in full-term infants or more than 4 weeks in preterm infants, or even if it appears repeatedly or fails to fade or disappear within one week to several weeks after birth, it may indicate pathological jaundice. In such cases, blue light therapy must be administered. Exchange blood treatment can effectively lower bilirubin levels, reduce red blood cell destruction, and prevent anemia. However, blood exchange needs to meet certain conditions and may produce many adverse reactions. Therefore, strict control of indications is necessary, which is usually used when phototherapy is successful.