PHOTOTHERAPY: WHITE LIGHT VERSUS BLUE LIGHT IN THE TREATMENT OF NEONATAL JAUNDICE

Abstract

Introduction: Neonatal jaundice is one of the diseases that most affect newborns. Thus, the need to analyze this pathology and recognize the managements to treat it and avoid its possible complications is evident. Phototherapy stands out, whose therapeutic response is propagated by the action of light energy, whose notoriety is surrounded by white light versus blue light. Objective: The research seeks to highlight the pertinent comparisons of the phototherapeutic modality between white light and blue light, clarifying under which circumstances to apply a certain light source and assisting in the treatment of neonatal jaundice in a more agile and safer way. Methodology: This is a literature review. Seventeen scientific publications from the LILACS, MedLine, BDENF and Scielo databases were used, with a time frame from 1996 to 2018. The selection of articles was carried out in May and June 2018. The inclusion criteria were: articles published in Portuguese and English, indexed in the databases, available in the public domain and in full. For the descriptive analysis of the results, a comparative table on phototherapy was completed. Results: Of the articles included, there was a higher prevalence of publications in the years 2006 and 2014. Regarding the objectives of the studies, most of them addressed the efficacy of phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal jaundice. Conclusion: Thus, it aims to develop and expand therapeutic approaches with knowledge supported by scientific evidence on the influence of light on the bilirubin molecule and its effective action in the immediate treatment of neonatal jaundice.