16 hyperbilirubinemic neonates treated with LED（high mode）phototherapy and 26 neonates treated with FT phototherapy were retrospectively compared.
Phototherapy was provided from 40cm above their bed when their total serum bilirubin（TSB）levels exceeded the Murata’s criteria. The data on TSB were collected retrospectively by referring to the clinical laboratory records.
The clinical backgrounds and biochemical variables of the two groups did not differ. The mean total serum bilirubin （TSB）concentrations at initiation of treatment did not differ among the two groups. At termination of treatment, the mean TSB level in the LED group was significantly lower than in the FT group（5.6±1.8mg/dL vs. 6.8±1.5mg/dL）． The LED group had higher ΔTSB（TSB before−TSB after therapy）levels compared to the FT group（4.2±1.5mg/dL vs. 3.0±1.3mg/dL），higher ratio of reduction in TSB〔（ΔTSB/TSB before therapy）×100〕（41.8±13.5% vs. 29.6±11.7%）， higher rate of decrease in TSB〔ΔTSB/time（hr）〕（0.17±0.07mg/dL/hr vs. 0.13±0.06mg/dL/hr）and higher rate of decrease in their ratio of reduction in TSB〔（ΔTSB/TSB before therapy）×100/time（hr）〕（1.68±0.52%/hr vs. 1.26±0.58%/hr）， respectively.
We demonstrated that blue LED phototherapy was more effective than conventional FT phototherapy in VLBW infants with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Furthermore, long-term follow-up assessment is needed in VLBW infants with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.
