Kangaroo mother care during phototherapy: effect on bilirubin profile.
PURPOSE: To determine the safety and efficacy of allowing kangaroo mother care (KMC) one hour per day during the course of phototherapy using a fiberoptic phototherapy panel. SAMPLE: Thirty premature infants, 30-35 weeks gestation, <2,500 gm, who required phototherapy. Infants were randomized into three groups: (1) infants who received traditional bank or spotlight phototherapy 24 hours per day, (2) infants who received traditional phototherapy 23 hours per day and for the 24th hour lay prone on a fiberoptic phototherapy panel, and (3) infants who received traditional phototherapy 23 hours per day and for the 24th hour were given KMC with a fiberoptic phototherapy panel held against their back. OUTCOME VARIABLES: Nonparametric statistics were used for between-group comparisons on number of days of phototherapy, daily bilirubin decrement, and bilirubin profiles over the course of phototherapy. RESULTS: Groups did not differ in the number of days of phototherapy or in daily mean bilirubin decrement. The bilirubin profile for the KMC group showed a more shallow descent than did the profiles for the other groups, but a significant difference in decline was present only on day 4 of treatment (p = .05). CONCLUSION: This pilot work suggests that KMC using a fiberoptic panel during phototherapy may be safe, but further study is needed.