I just want to make sure that everyone realizes that a bilirubin of 17
on day 3 is a whole different kettle of fish than a bilirubin of 17 at
24 hours of age. In the latter case, getting out of hospital and
frequent nursing would not be appropriate. If the bilirubin stayed at
17, this would not be a problem, but a bilirubin which rises that
quickly is very likely to go much higher and hyperbilirubinemia
associated with hemolysis is *not* benign.
Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC