Resource-Poor Nations Find Less Costly Solution for Neonatal Jaundice

There are many babies who for the first few days of their lives are affected by the medical condition neonatal jaundice which is caused by an excess of bilirubin in the blood and gives the skin a yellowish tint. Typically, the condition does not require treatment and goes away after of couple of days with no lasting consequences. However, there are severe cases in which side effects include possible deafness and brain damage. In such unusual cases, the treatment require is phototherapy.

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For Neonatal Jaundice, a New Option in Resource-Poor Nations

The treatment process of phototherapy involves placing the baby, equipped with protective eyewear, under a phototherapy light box which shines a blue light. The blue light helps break down the bilirubin in the skin which can then be excreted. Thus, phototherapy is a painless and effective solution for treating severe cases of neonatal jaundice. The treatment has only one blatant drawback: its price.

The device is said to cost about $3,000 and then one has to include the replacement of compact fluorescent lightbulbs which run about $17 each. On top of that, the treatment must be continuous for 1-2 days or else serious problems may arise. 

In resource-poor nations where money is hardly abundant and electric power is not always certain, the use of these machines for treatment is "at best impractical and at worst impossible." So how do these afflicted, impoverished babies get the treatment they need?

Well, thanks to the efforts of individuals such as the scientists and designers at D-Rev, a nonprofit design firm in Palo Alto, California these babies may have treatment more readily available to them. These individuals have created a phototherapy device called Brilliance which using light-emitting diodes as opposed to the more costly compact fluorescent lightbulbs. These said LED bulbs require half the wattage, last up to 5 years, and cost 1/10 of the compact fluorescent bulbs.