Inquiry
On the third day after birth, the newborn’s total bilirubin index reached 265. Is this value too high? On the fourth day of discharge, the skin test result was 15.8, and the doctor recommended blue light therapy. However, due to the urgency to be discharged, we chose to leave in the morning and bring the child back to the hospital for blue light therapy in the afternoon. The afternoon test results showed the highest level at around 1 pm. The doctor then stated that whether to undergo blue light therapy was up to the parents’ decision and suggested alternative treatments such as exposing the child to sunlight at home and taking a probiotic containing arctium lappa. We chose to treat the child at home. We initially thought the child was fine, but on the sixth day, when we returned to the hospital for a skin test, the bilirubin index reached a high of 19.8, necessitating inpatient treatment. The urine test results after admission showed a bilirubin index of 437. The doctor advised initial blue light therapy and injection of human serum albumin. If the index fails to decrease, a liver biopsy may be required. After 6 hours of blue light therapy, the bilirubin index dropped to 342. It is now on the seventh day, and the index has decreased to 279. The possibility of hemolytic jaundice has been ruled out. Is the child’s hospital stay too late? The child has no other complications, breastfeeding and sleep are normal, and there are no symptoms of bilirubin entering the brain. What is the likelihood of bilirubin entering the brain?