Hemolytic Jaundice in Newborn with Risk of Neurotoxicity: Unravelling the Dilemma in Management

Hemolytic disease of the fetus & newborn (HDFN) is a disorder where RBCs are destroyed by maternal erythrocyte alloantibodies and there is increased production of unconjugated bilirubin and anemia and in severe cases, hydrops in the fetus. Rh & ABO incompatibility are the most common causes of severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in newborn babies. Though many treatment options are available for this condition, phototherapy stands first and most important of these all. This article signifies the successful management of OB incompatibility with hemolytic jaundice and clinical sepsis in a term neonate who was successfully managed with phototherapy along with serial BIND (Bilirubin Induced Neurological Dysfunction) scoring rather than going for other treatment options such as intravenous immunoglobulin or exchange transfusion.