Neonatal jaundice detection using a computer vision system

Abstract

Jaundice or Hyperbilirubinemia is a very common condition that affects newborns in their first few weeks of life. The main cause of jaundice is the high level of the bilirubin substance in the blood. As bilirubin is toxic to brain cells, acute bilirubin encephalopathy can occur in cases of extreme jaundice. This condition can result in brain trauma and lead to kernicterus, which causes repetitive and uncontrolled movements, a permanent upward look, and hearing loss. Thus, a timely diagnosis and treatment can help in preventing long-term damage. In this paper, a developed system based on a digital camera was proposed to diagnose and treat jaundice in newborns. The system detects jaundice and determines if the neonate needs treatment based on the analysis obtained from the real-time captured images. The treatment was achieved by using an Arduino Uno microcontroller to drive phototherapy lighting, which has proven to be an efficient treatment method for jaundice. In addition, the proposed system has the ability to send the diagnostic results to the mobile phone of the care provider. The obtained results from 20 infants inside the intensive care unit showed that the proposed system was accurate in terms of detecting jaundice, easy to implement, and affordable.