Preterm infants born at less than 31 weeks' gestation have improved growth in cycled light compared with continuous near darkness. Randomized controlled study of the effects of different durations of light exposure on weight gain by preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. Comparison of the efficacy of conventional special blue light phototherapy and fiberoptic phototherapy in the management of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia. A prospective randomized controlled study of phototherapy using blue and blue-green light-emitting devices, and conventional halogen-quartz phototherapy. Rest-activity patterns of premature infants are regulated by cycled lighting. Light emitting diodes versus compact fluorescent tubes for phototherapy in neonatal jaundice: a multi center randomized controlled trial.
Our purpose was to evaluate the benefits of cycled light (CL) versus near darkness (ND) on health in preterm infants born at <31 weeks' gestational age.
                Randomized, interventional study comparing infants receiving (1) CL from birth, (2) CL at 32 weeks' postconceptional age (PCA), and (3) CL at 36 weeks' PCA in transition for discharge home. Statistical significance was assessed with segmented mixed general linear models, analysis of covariance, general estimating equations, chi(2), and Fisher's exact procedure.
                Infants receiving CL at birth and 32 weeks' PCA gained weight faster than infants not receiving CL until 36 weeks' PCA. There were no differences among the groups in length of hospitalization stay or number of ventilator days, but the power was low for these variables.
                These findings suggest that CL has significant weight gain benefits over ND, and there are no short-term advantages of ND over cycled light for health in preterm infants. A randomized controlled study was carried out on 96 preterm infants (< 37 wk) with birthweight less than 2000 g admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. The aim was to compare the weight gain between preterm infants exposed to 12 h cyclical lighting (intensity of light: 78.4 +/- 24.7 lux, mean +/- SD) and those exposed to a continuously dim environment (5.9 +/- 1.9 lux). The exclusion criteria were infants with major congenital malformations or who needed continuous lighting for treatment procedure and care. From day 7 of life until discharge, 50 infants were randomized to receive 12 h cyclical lighting and 46 infants to a continuously dim environment. There was no significant difference in the mean birthweight (12 h lighting vs continuously dim: 1482 vs 1465 g, p = 0.8), mean gestational age (31.6 vs 31.4 wk, p = 0.6), median duration of hospital stay (28.5 vs 28.5 d, p = 0.8), mean age to regain birthweight (13.0 vs 12.9 d, p = 0.3), mean weight gained by day 14 (27.6 vs 36.2 g, p = 1.0), median weight gain per day (11.9 vs 12.2 g, p = 0.9) or median body weight on discharge (1800 vs 1800 g, p = 0.4) between the two groups of infants.
                Exposing preterm infants to either 12 h cyglical lighting or continuously dim environment did not have any significant effect on their weight gain during the neonatal period. The efficacy and usefulness of two types of phototherapy differing in the source, wavelength and irradiance of the light, conventional phototherapy consisting of special blue light and fiberoptic phototherapy, were compared in a relatively larger series of term newborns with non-haemolytic and more significant hyperbilirubinaemia than those in previous studies. In total, 108 newborns were allocated sequentially to receive either conventional phototherapy consisting of five special blue lamps or fiberoptic phototherapy. The average spectral irradiance measured at the skin surface level of newborns during the study period was significantly greater in the conventional phototherapy group. The special blue lamp of the conventional phototherapy unit had an emission spectrum almost identical to the bilirubin absorption spectrum, whereas the tungsten-halogen lamp of the fiberoptic phototherapy had a broad emission through the blue and green wavelengths (mainly in the green spectrum). Phototherapy was more effective in the conventional phototherapy group; the duration of exposure to phototherapy (h) was significantly shorter, and the overall bilirubin decline rate (as micromol/l/h and %/h) was significantly greater in the conventional phototherapy group. According to the nursing personnel, fiberoptic phototherapy was more comfortable than the conventional phototherapy frame because of the easier accessibility and handling of the infants during phototherapy. They complained of giddiness, nausea, glare, temporary blurring of vision and difficulty in detecting the skin colour changes of newborns with the blue light of the conventional phototherapy unit. Conventional phototherapy consisting of special blue fluorescent lamps with approximately twofold higher irradiance and an emission spectrum almost identical to the bilirubin absorption spectrum is preferable to fiberoptic phototherapy in the standard treatment of term newborns with non-haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia. To determine the efficacy of blue versus blue-green phototherapy using new light sources with narrow luminous spectra. The devices made of high-intensity gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were also compared to conventional halogen-quartz bulbs phototherapy.
                Prospective open randomized study.
                A total of 114 jaundiced, but otherwise healthy term infants who met the entry criteria for phototherapy set by the American Academy of Pediatrics' Practice Parameter.
                The duration of phototherapy and the rate of decrease in total serum bilirubin (TSB).
                The mean TSB concentrations at initiation and termination of treatment, as well as the duration of phototherapy and the rate of decrease in TSB, were not statistically different in newborns receiving blue LED, blue-green LED or conventional phototherapy. The average rate of decrease in TSB (slope), after adjustment by a linear regression analysis for confounding factors, was -3.61 micromol/hour (95% confidence limits -5.47, -1.75) in the 25 newborns receiving blue LED phototherapy compared with -2.57 micromol/hour (-4.32, -0.82) in the 22 newborns treated with blue-green LED phototherapy and -3.42 micromol/hour (-5.02, -1.81) in the 57 newborns who received conventional phototherapy.
                When using low light irradiance, there was no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of phototherapy using blue-green LEDs, blue LEDs or conventional halogen-quartz bulbs. Many hospitalized premature infants are exposed to continuous dim lighting rather than to cycled lighting. However, we do not know whether dim lighting or low-intensity cycled lighting is more conducive to the development of rest-activity patterns that are in phase with the solar light-dark cycle. Thus, we examined the effects of nursery lighting conditions on the development of activity patterns in premature infants.
                Premature infants who were born at <32 weeks' postmenstrual age and were medically stable in neonatal intensive care unit rooms were randomly assigned between 32 and 34 weeks' postmenstrual age to either continuous dim lighting (<25 lux; duration 24 days; control group; n = 29) or cycled lighting (239 +/- 29 lux, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM; <25 lux, 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM; duration: 25 days; experimental group; n = 33). Activity was continuously monitored from enrollment until approximately 1 month after discharge from the hospital. Weight and head circumference were also assessed up to 6 months after discharge from the hospital.
                Over the first 10 days at home, distinct day-night differences in activity were not seen in control subjects (D day-night: N 1.07 +/- 0.02), but experimental group infants were more active during the day than at night (day-night: 1.25 +/- 0.03). It was not until 21 to 30 days after discharge that day-night activity ratios in control infants matched those seen in experimental group infants shortly after discharge, yet even at this age, experimental group infants (day-night: 2.13 +/- 0.19) were considerably more active during the day than at night as compared with control subjects (day-night: 1.43 +/- 0.09).
                Exposure of premature infants to low-intensity cycled lighting in the hospital nursery induces distinct patterns of rest-activity that are apparent within 1 week after discharge. In comparison, the appearance of distinct patterns of rest and activity are delayed in infants who are exposed to continuous dim lighting in the hospital. These observations show that day-night rhythms in activity patterns can be detected shortly after discharge to home in premature infants and that the circadian clock of developing infants is entrained by cycled lighting. To evaluate whether light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy is as efficacious as compact fluorescent tube (CFT) phototherapy for the treatment of non-hemolytic jaundice in healthy term and late preterm neonates.
                Multi centre open label randomized controlled trial.
                Four tertiary care neonatal units.
                Healthy term and late preterm neonates with non-hemolytic jaundice.
                Single-surface LED or CFT phototherapy. PRIMARY OUTCOME VARIABLE: Duration of phototherapy.
                A total of 272 neonates were randomized to receive LED (n=142) or CFT (n=130) phototherapy. The baseline demographic and biochemical variables were similar in the two groups. The median duration of phototherapy (IQR) in the two groups was comparable (26 (22-36) h vs. 25(22-36) h; P=0.44). At any time point, a similar proportion of neonates were under phototherapy in the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.38). The rate of fall of serum total bilirubin (STB) during phototherapy and the incidence of failure of phototherapy were also not different. An equal proportion of neonates had a rebound increase in STB needing restarting of phototherapy. Side effects were rare, comparable in the two groups and included hypothermia, hyperthermia, rash, skin darkening and dehydration.
                LED and CFT phototherapy units were equally efficacious in the management of non-hemolytic hyperbilirubinemia in healthy term and late preterm neonates.
Trials assessing the effect of CL have enrolled 469 infants. Trends for many outcomes favoured cycled light (CL) compared to near darkness (ND) and CL compared to continuous bright light (CBL) The studies may have lacked significance due to a lack of statistical power. Future research should focus on comparing CL to ND.