Bili Lights

Originally posted by babynurse32

When an infant is under phototherapy are you turning out the bulbs before drawing the next bili level? If so how long before you draw the bili are you turning off the lights?

I've never heard of turning off the lights before drawing for a bili. What is the rationale?

The lights should be turned off immediately before drawing the blood, then turned back on as soon as the sample is removed from the bedside. If the blood sample in the tube is exposed to the bili lights, the bili level may be falsely low dut to breakdown of the bili in the blood sample.

Likewise, home care nurses drawing bili levels must protect the samples from sunlight.

Exactly what Jolie said.

Yes, we take baby out of the lights before drawing blood.

Originally posted by Jolie

The lights should be turned off immediately before drawing the blood, then turned back on as soon as the sample is removed from the bedside. If the blood sample in the tube is exposed to the bili lights, the bili level may be falsely low dut to breakdown of the bili in the blood sample.

Likewise, home care nurses drawing bili levels must protect the samples from sunlight.

Thanks, Jolie. That makes perfect sense. I was not thinking of the sample itself being affected.

We've never done that. Would it make that big a difference that 60 seconds under the light?

dawngloves,

I honestly don't know how much of a difference it would make. That would be an excellent (and easy) research project!

Hey, does anyone have a quotable reference for this, by chance? Thanks!

Sorry, no specific reference, just policy and procedures at the hospitals where I've worked.

Check your basic neonatal texts to see if you can find a reference.

We turn the lights off, too. It's always been policy for us

We used to, but stopped several years ago....somebody did a study............