Identifying infants who might benefit from routine measurement of bilirubin during first 48–72 hours of life

EDITOR—The observation reported by Spurgeon of an increased likelihood of readmission with jaundice after earlier neonatal discharge is well made.1 Lee et al showed that jaundice and dehydration were more severe in newborn infants requiring readmission to hospital after the mean age at discharge fell from 4.5 to 2.7 days,2 while Maisels and Kring found a significantly increased risk for readmission with jaundice among newborn infants discharged from hospital before 72 hours of age.3

In the United Kingdom all newborn infants and mothers can be visited at home regularly by community midwives during the first seven days after discharge. These health professionals are skilled in infant capillary blood sampling and often measure serum bilirubin concentrations as part of …