Could looser jaundice rules spare preterm babies unnecessary treatment?
NCT ID NCT07674537
First seen Jun 29, 2026 · Last updated Jun 30, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether using higher (less strict) bilirubin thresholds for starting light therapy in very preterm infants (born before 30 weeks) is as safe as the current Dutch guidelines. About 680 babies across Dutch NICUs will be randomly assigned to one of two threshold strategies. The main goal is to see if the higher thresholds lead to similar rates of survival without developmental problems at age two, while reducing the burden of treatment and monitoring.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Phototherapy and exchange transfusion thresholds
- What this could lead to
- If higher thresholds are safe, fewer preterm infants may need intensive light therapy, reducing stress and parent-infant separation.
- What could go wrong
- This is a non-inferiority trial, so it may only show that the higher thresholds are not worse—not that they are better. Results may not apply outside the Netherlands.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen
Groningen, Provincie Groningen, 9713GZ, Netherlands
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