Clear Topical Ointment Decreases Transepidermal
Water Loss in Jaundiced Preterm Infants Receiving
Phototherapy
SIRIWAN WANANUKUL,M.D.*,
PRAMOTE PRAISUWA NNA, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Division of Pediatric Dermatology,
** Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics,Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkom University, Bangkok I 0330,
Thailand. ·
AbstractThe evaporation rate (ER) from the skin was measured in 40 jaundiced preterm infants born
at less than or equal to 34 weeks of gestation. The baseline measurements were executed in both
the right and left side in 3 positions: upper arm, back and lower leg. The patients were randomly
recruited to a treatment or a control group. The treatment group received 3.0 ml of clear topical
ointment just before phototherap,y. Conventional phototherapy was placed above the incubators in
both groups. ER and ambient skin temperature were measured at the same point at 30 minutes and
5 hours during phototherapy.
In the control group, ER was increased by 8.0 per cent (P value= 0.01) and 14.5 per cent (P
value< 0.001) at 30 minutes and 5 hours during phototherapy, respectively. In the treatment group,
clear topical ointment decreased ER by 19.2 per cent (P value< 0.001) and 13.2 per cent (P value=
0.003) at 30 minutes and 5 hours during phototherapy, respectively. Ambient skin temperature
during phototherapy was increased significantly (P <0.01) in both groups. Serum microbilirubin dif
ference of pre and post phototherapy at 24 hours of phototherapy between the 2 groups was not
significantly different (P=0.38). The authors concluded that conventional phototherapy, in premature
infants nursed in an incubator, increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) significantly and the
application of clear topical ointment on the skin of jaundiced preterm infants receiving conventional
phototherapy in incubators reduce TEWL significantly, without effect on serum rnicrobilirubin.
Keywords : Evaporation Rate, Phototherapy, Preterm Infant, Clear Topical Ointment
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