Pulmonary excretion of carbon monoxide in the human infant as an index of bilirubin production. I. Effects of gestational and postnatal age and some common neonatal abnormalities.

Using a single pass, flow-through system, the pulmonary excretion rate of endogenously produced carbon monoxide was measured as an index of bilirubin production in human infants with varying gestational and postnatal ages and with a variety of clinical abnormalities. No significant difference in VECO was found related to sex or gestational age. The mean VECO for a small group of Oriental infants was significantly increased. VECO decreased with increasing postnatal age. As expected, infants with hemolytic disease of the newborn had a markedly increased mean VECO. Infants with jaundice of unknown etiology also had an elevated mean VECO, implying that increased bilirubin production may be a factor contributing to the "nonphysiologic" bilirubinemias of these infants.