How long does it take for blue light to treat jaundice?

Newborns have a high chance of suffering from jaundice. There are two types of jaundice, of which physiological jaundice is the most common and the easiest to subside. However, severe jaundice cannot disappear on its own, especially pathological jaundice, which requires hospitalization. The most common treatment is blue light therapy. So, how long does it usually take for children with jaundice to be exposed to blue light?

1. How long does it take for a newborn to be exposed to blue light?

Neonatal jaundice is usually treated with blue light for 8-12 hours at a time, followed by a 12-16 hour break. Blue light therapy is only required for pathological jaundice in newborns. The course of blue light exposure is generally 1 to 3 days, and it is best not to do it for 4 consecutive days. Normally, if jaundice is not particularly serious, a cumulative 24 hours of blue light exposure is sufficient. If the baby's jaundice is more serious, the exposure time can be extended to 48 hours, up to 72 hours. Blue light exposure for babies is very safe, and you only need to protect the areas that need to be protected.

2. Notes

The room temperature should not be too high and should not be higher than 30℃.

Wipe the dust off the surface of the lamp tube, the effective distance is 33 to 50 cm. Expose the baby's skin as much as possible, but at the same time pay attention to protecting the eyes and genitals. Wear an eye mask and diapers to prevent phototherapy damage.

During phototherapy, insensible water loss increases, so remember to drink plenty of water and replenish water in time. Prevent skin damage. The blue light box should be surrounded by soft cotton pads. Children should wear gloves and socks before entering the blue light box. Children who cry in the blue light box should be comforted in time. Observe whether the child has rash, fever, or diarrhea, and treat the symptoms in a timely manner. Record the usage time of the lamps and replace them regularly.

3. Nursing of neonatal jaundice blue light therapy

Taking your baby out to bask in the sun more often and feeding him some boiled water can accelerate the excretion of bilirubin in the body and make jaundice disappear faster.

For babies who are very noisy, you can report to the doctor to suspend phototherapy, and at the same time, touch the skin of the newborn's head, back, hands, etc. to calm the newborn. The nursing staff changes the child's sleeping position every hour, and promptly helps wipe off sweat, clean the buttocks, change diapers, keep the skin clean and dry, and avoid colds and red buttocks.

Measure body temperature regularly and open all the doors when the temperature is high in summer. In winter, we must strengthen warmth preservation, carry out nursing operations centrally, and adjust the box temperature according to body temperature.

Nurses should closely observe the child's mental state, feeding situation, stool color and properties, and the disappearance of jaundice, assist doctors and the laboratory in drawing blood to review changes in serum unconjugated bilirubin, and report the disease status to doctors in a timely manner.