Jaundice is a common medical condition seen in newborn babies as well as in adults. It occurs due to raised levels of bilirubin in the blood which then deposits in the skin and eyes leading to yellow discoloration. Traditionally, the diagnosis is based on physical examination however accurate level measurement requires blood tests. Now, a non-invasive and portable jaundice meter has been developed which can help in easy screening and quantification of jaundice in both home and hospital settings.
What is Jaundice Meter?
A Jaundice Meter is a handheld, painless and non-invasive device which uses phototherapy technology to measure bilirubin levels through the skin. It works on the principle of spectrometry where multiple light wavelengths are passed through the skin. The amount of light absorbed is directly proportional to bilirubin concentration and is quantified digitally on the display screen of the meter. Some key features of currently available jaundice meters include:
– Compact and light weight design enabling use even in newborn babies
– Displays bilirubin value directly in mg/dl unit for easy clinical interpretation
– Stores readings which can be transferred to digital records or shared with doctors
– Requires no consumables or recurring costs after initial purchase
– Simple to use with one-touch operation and automatic reading within seconds
– Helps in mass newborn screening programs and repeated measurements for monitoring therapy
Benefits in Newborns
Jaundice is very common in newborn babies affecting over 60% of all term newborns. Timely identification and treatment is important to prevent risks of prolonged high bilirubin levels. Jaundice meters have significantly helped in this regard with the following advantages:
– Enables quick and frequent bedside screening of all newborns before discharge from the hospital
– Helps in early detection of rising bilirubin levels needing treatment intervention
– Parents can easily measure levels at home and share readings remotely with doctors for timely management
– Reduces need for unnecessary blood tests in majority of newborns with normal levels
– Better monitoring of therapy response during phototherapy or exchange transfusion procedures
– Promotes breastfeeding and early discharge from hospital with reliable home monitoring
Expanding Role in Adults
Besides newborns, jaundice can also develop in adults due to various medical conditions affecting the liver. Jaundice meters are now finding increasing utility for evaluation of jaundice in adult patients as well:
– Provides objective levels in patients presenting to outpatient or emergency settings
– Monitors for rising trends or therapy responses in hospitalized patients of acute liver diseases
– Aids in evaluation and management of chronic liver diseases on an outpatient basis
– Useful investigative tool for identifying pre-jaundice/subclinical elevations in viral hepatitis, drugs, etc.
– Lightweight and easy to use meters support home-based monitoring of stable chronic liver patients
Scientific Validations
Multiple clinical studies over past years have successfully validated the accuracy and reliability of bilirubin readings obtained from jaundice meters. Important findings from these trials have shown:
– Near perfect correlation and agreement between meter readings and laboratory analyzers values
– High degree of sensitivity and specificity for detecting hyperbilirubinemia thresholds
– Accuracy maintained across all bilirubin ranges from normal to severe hyperbilirubinemia
– Readings unaffected by variations in skin tones or presence of jaundice in eyes as well
– Long term stability and consistency of meters calibrated through stringent quality controls
In summary, the non-invasive jaundice meter has emerged as a valuable point-of-care tool for screening and management of both newborn and adult patients with jaundice. With advantages of ease of use, portability and accuracy, it can help expand universal newborn screening as well as support reliable home-based monitoring of jaundice. Wider adoption of this technology promises better patient outcomes through timely identification and optimized jaundice care.
