Israel guidelines for the management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and prevention of kernicterus

Abstract

Despite publication of guidelines for the prevention and management of hyperbilirubinemia in term and late-preterm newborn infants, kernicterus, although rare, continues to occur. Guidelines written for use in one country may not always be universally appropriate. Bearing this in mind, a committee appointed by the Israel Neonatal Society has formulated a set of guidelines, based on those of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2004), but adapted to the realities of the Israeli scene. The guidelines include methods of surveillance of jaundice, prediction of jaundice, assessment of risk factors, discharge planning and post-discharge follow-up, in addition to therapeutic guidelines including indications for phototherapy, exchange transfusion and the use of intravenous immune globulin. Availability of these guidelines to the international community may offer direction to physicians of other countries who may be setting up guidelines for use in their own communities.