Transcutaneous bilirubin measurements in Saudi infants: the use of the jaundice meter to identify significant jaundice.

A total of 155 transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements were performed on 155 healthy full-term Saudi newborns with neonatal jaundice using the Minolta/Airshield Jaundice Meter applied to the forehead. The TcB measurements correlated well with the serum bilirubin determinations (r = 0.817). The regression equation for our population was y = 13.24 + 0.69x. At a cut-off TcB index of 21 the machine could identify infants with serum bilirubin levels of 12.5 mg/dl or more with a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 90%. The positive and negative predictive values were 78% and 88%, respectively. We think at that action line the machine is a useful screening tool that can identify children with significant jaundice who will need serum bilirubin determination.