BASIC CARE REDUCES NEONATAL HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA

We studied the frequency of jaundice, bilirubin estimations, photother apy administration and exchange transfusions performed at 5 year inter vals (1981, 1986 and 1991) among babies admitted to special care unit and those managed in postnatal ward, showing a decline which was signi ficant except for the number of exchange transfusions performed. The n umber of term babies with serum bilirubin >15 mg/dl and preterm babies with serum bilirubin >10 mg/dl also declined significantly without pr ophylactic phototherapy or pharmacotherapy.