A novel medical device that combines filtered sunlight phototherapy and kangaroo care to treat neonatal jaundice: bench feasibility study

Abstract Background Phototherapy, involving therapeutic blue light, is essential for treating neonatal jaundice/hyperbilirubinemia. Kangaroo care involves prolonged skin to skin contact between the infant and parent, especially important for newborn infants. These experiments seek to investigate the ability of a novel medical device, BiliRoo, to deliver filtered sunlight phototherapy in a kangaroo care carrier, to assess whether harmful UV-A (and by extension UV-B) was filtered out while adequate therapeutic blue light was allowed to pass through at multiple caregiver angles. Methods In a bench model, the delivered UV-A radiation and therapeutic blue irradiance were measured for Air Blue and Gila Titanium filters from 10:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. at angles of 30°, 60°, and 90° from the ground. Results The mean values of irradiance for both filters at all three angles were above the threshold of intensive phototherapy (30 μW/cm²/nm). For both filters, over 99% of the mean UV-A radiation was filtered out at all three angles. Conclusions In a bench model, BiliRoo is able to filter harmful UV radiation while still delivering adequate average therapeutic blue light at a range of caregiver angles. Further testing on usability and clinical feasibility, safety and efficacy are warranted. Impact Introduces a novel non-electric medical device that combines filtered sunlight phototherapy and kangaroo care to treat infant jaundice. Demonstrates the ability of the device to provide adequate therapeutic blue irradiance to treat jaundice while blocking harmful UV sunlight for caregivers at multiple angles, enabling potential at-home and mobile care.