Phototherapy with turquoise versus blue light.(Original Article)

Preterm jaundiced infants were treated by phototheraphy with a new turquoise fluorescent lamp. This was more effective in reducing plasma total bilirubin in relation to light irradiance than the ubiquitously used blue fluorescent lamp.

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Phototherapy is the most widespread treatment for lowering bilirubin concentration in neonates. Blue fluorescent lamps with emission peak wavelength matching the absorption maximum of the plasma bilirubin-albumin complex at 460 nm have been used successfully in phototherapy, in particular the Philips F20WT12/BB special blue lamp with peak emission at 446 nm and the Philips 20WTL/52 blue lamp with peak emission at 452 nm and spectral width (width at half maximum) of 55 nm.

An increase in phototherapeutic efficiency was predicted for lamps with emission peak at about 490 nm. (1) Thus, nonstandard, cold cathode fluorescent lamps emitting at 490 nm were developed and clinically tested with successful results. (2) Then new turquoise (blue-green) standard fluorescent lamps were made by Osram, with emission peak at 490 nm and bandwidth of 65 nm.

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