| Step |
Action |
| 1 |
Position phototherapy unit 25-30cm from baby in a cot or
5cm
above the top of the incubator. |
| 2 |
Baby is nursed naked. |
| 3 |
If the
infant is in an incubator, the light rays should be perpendicular to the
surface of the incubator in order to minimize loss of efficacy due to
reflectance. |
| 4 |
Use appropriate eye shields
(size and type) to protect the eyes.
- Baby shades (small)
- Baby shades (large) - used hydragel adhesive to position on baby
- Eye Max (term infants)
|
|
5 |
Eye pads
should be removed 4 hourly and eye cares attended with normal saline.
|
| 6 |
Feeding /IV Fluids:
- Term Babies: Complementary feeds in the form of intragastric or
bottle feeds with EBM/formula may be required if oral intake is
insufficient and there are concerns that the infant is dehydrated.
- Preterm Babies: Preterm infants have about a 20% increase in
transepidermal water loss when they receive phototherapy despite being
nursed in humidity and a double walled incubator.
- The daily fluid rate may need to be increased by 10ml-15ml/kg/day to
prevent dehydration.
- When increasing the daily fluid rate the gestational and postnatal
age, fluid input and output, serum sodium levels need to be reviewed and
the fluid rate must be individualised for each infant
|
| |
|
| 7 |
Use the phototherapy lite meter to check the unit’s light output
each duty. Output should be over 10mcw/nm/cm2 on all body
surfaces. |
| 8 |
To avoid the possibility of burns do not use baby lotions or creams on
baby’s skin. |
| 9 |
Phototherapy lamps act
as a source of radiant heat. Monitor the baby's temperature closely
when commencing phototherapy and adjust incubator temperature as required to
avoid overheating. |
