Could someone enlighten me on this?  I was under the impression since
the '80's that bilirubin was excreted via the bowels.  Prior to that
study (deCarvalo, I believe, 1980's) jaundiced babies were being
"flushed out" with sugar water because it was thought the bili was
passed through the urine.  The title of the release is below with the
paragraph in quotes that caught my eye.  I added the underline to
highlight the phrase in question.  
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF
HEALTH NIH News Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD) <http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
Embargoed for Release: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 5:00 p.m. EDT
 
CONTACT:  Robert Bock or Marianne Glass Miller, 301-496-5133,
<e-mail:[log in to unmask]> 
 
EARLIER JAUNDICE TREATMENT DECREASES BRAIN INJURY IN PREEMIES

 
"The first line of treatment for newborn hyperbilirubinemia is
phototherapy -- exposure to high intensity light.  The light penetrates
the skin and converts bilirubin to a less toxic substance, which is
eliminated through the urine."
 
Please, someone more knowledgeable about this than me?
 

P.D. Gordon RN, BS, BSN, IBCLC 
DE Division of Public Health


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