Bilirubin fluorescence and prevention of kernicterus.

A saturation index (SI) for the binding of bilirubin to human serum albumin in blood specimens from neonates has been defined as 10(B/R), where B is the albumin-bound bilirubin concentration and R is the reserve albumin binding capacity. B and R are determined with the bilirubin hematofluorometer. The SI was determined for 288 specimens from 158 randomly chosen neonates for whom appropriate "traditional" clinical information was available, including serum bilirubin level, gestational age, birthweight, and respiratory status.