OUWBSOM Doctor Studies Hyperbilirubinemia in Infants.

One way to tell that the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine is becoming established is to note when papers start being published by authors identifying themselves as being part of the OUWBSOM. In the October 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics, Jeffrey Maisels--of the OUWBSOM Department of Pediatrics and the Beaumont Children's Hospital Division of Neonatology--published Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant >35 Weeks’ Gestation: An Update With Clarifications (Volume 124, Pages 1193-1198). The paper examines hyperbilirubinemia (increased levels of bilirubin in the blood) in infants, and concludes:

"we recommend universal predischarge bilirubin screening using total serum bilirubin (TSB) or transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements, which help to assess the risk of subsequent severe hyperbilirubinemia. We also recommend a more structured approach to management and follow-up according to the predischarge TSB/TcB, gestational age, and other risk factors for hyperbilirubinemia."