Bilirubin is broken down by certain wavelengths of light (420-470nm) as it penetrates the skin, allowing the body to rid itself of the chemical more easily. In days past, if a child was jaundice after birth, the doctors would tell the parents to put the baby in a sunny window. Luckily modern LED technologies have made many things more efficient. The current inpatient therapy with "Bili-lights" is a combination of an overhead blue LED light system which can be paired with an internally illuminated blue LED platform to bathe an infant in as much light as possible for a period of 12-24 hours. The infant must wear eye protection to prevent any damage from the intense lighting but aside from that the procedure is completely non-invasive. As you can see in the photos, Winnie took to it like she was spending the day at the spa. I may have annoyed my wife by spending so much time investigating the lights and reading the labels on the machines but once a lighting designer, always a lighting designer.
My wife and I were amazed at the effectiveness of the treatment! Our daughter's bilirubin levels were cut in half in the span of only 12 hours of treatment and we were released the following afternoon. I have to say that as a parent, I was incredibly grateful that this type of technology and treatment was available and that it is so effective in these situations. But as a lighting designer, I was fascinated by how a topic that is so close to my heart, lighting technology, ended up playing such a significant and unexpected role in the newest part of my life.
My oldest son needed this too. Even when we brought him home he spent a few days wrapped in a fiber optic blanket with the same blue lights. When we wrapped him in a yellow blanket we laughed at our alien baby sleeping away in his basinet ;)
ReplyDeleteShe is adorable! So glad the family is now healthy and happy!
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