Patient's question:
The second child of a newborn has jaundice with a transcutaneous bilirubin index of 18 after 2 days. The mother is type O blood, and the child is type B blood. They have taken Yinzhihuang Granules, but the doctor suggested hospitalization for treatment. However, my older daughter had similar symptoms, which subsided after about two weeks (in a different hospital). The doctor only mentioned that it could be hemolytic jaundice.Is it necessary to have the child undergo phototherapy? How can hemolytic jaundice be confirmed? Do I need to go to a specialized testing institution for blood tests to measure bilirubin? Please let me know. Thank you!
Wishing everyone a Happy Dragon Year and joy to your families!
Doctor's answer:
From your description, if the child develops jaundice again within 2 days, it should be considered hemolytic jaundice, which requires active treatment. If the older child is also type O blood, then her jaundice is not hemolytic, and it is different from the younger child.1. To verify if it is hemolytic jaundice, Coombs' test and other related diagnostic tests can be performed.
2. Measuring bilirubin can be done by having the child get a blood test for liver function in the local hospital, as most county-level hospitals can conduct liver function tests.
3. It may be necessary to expose the child to blue light to help the jaundice subside early and prevent it from becoming too high, which could affect the brain.