Babygrow with lights built in to banish jaundice

ABABYGROW that lights up from top to bottom could help thousands of newborns affected by jaundice. The high-tech satin garment has hundreds of tiny LED lights woven into the fabric. Each battery-powered bulb is no bigger than a matchhead and constantly emits light to help clear the symptoms of jaundice — yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

The theory is that this exposure to light breaks down bilirubin, the yellow substance that gives the characteristic jaundice appearance. The bilirubin is then disposed of by the liver.

Around 60 per cent of newborns have jaundice, rising to 80 per cent in premature babies.

When babies are in the womb, the placenta gets rid of bilirubin, a by-product of the natural breakdown of old red blood cells. After birth, the baby’s liver takes over. But it can often struggle to cope with the workload.

Failure to feed properly can also lead to a build-up of bilirubin, as babies become dehydrated, leaving insufficient fluids to flush out the substance.

In most cases, jaundice clears up on its own as a baby’s liver becomes stronger.

But around one in 20 needs treatment — the risk is hearing problems or brain damage as bilirubin levels build up.

In extreme cases, a blood transfusion is needed. But the main treatment is phototherapy, where the baby is placed under a lamp that emits blue light: this has a shorter wavelength than other forms of light and so generates more energy.

THE light breaks down the bilirubin into molecules that can be more easily handled by the liver. However, the treatment usually involves placing babies naked and alone under a lamp in an incubator for at least two days. Their eyes are covered by a mask, as the light could damage their vision. The only interruption is when they are temporarily removed for feeding.

Although phototherapy is highly effective, it can be traumatic for mothers and babies to be split up so soon after the birth. The new babygrow, developed at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology in Dubendorf, means babies can be treated while being cared for by their mothers at home, without the need for eye protection (the light from the garment only shines inwards onto the body). To make the babygrow, experts integrated fibres fitted with LEDs into the satin material, so they could beam light evenly all over the skin.

Satin was chosen as it is soft and flexible. Its threads also do not cross over each other as much as some other materials, such as cotton, so light is more likely to penetrate it. And unlike light bulbs, which produce light by heating a filament, LEDs do not get hot when in use, so the baby’s skin will not get burnt.

A recent study in the journal Biomedical Optics Express said a prototype babygrow — which is fully washable — produced similar levels of blue light to a conventional hospital incubator.

If tests prove the babygrow could fight jaundice, it could be available within three to five years.

David Field, a professor of neonatal medicine at the University of Leicester, said: ‘This certainly sounds like an attractive idea, but careful testing will be necessary to make sure the babygrow is as good as conventional phototherapy.’

MEANWHILE, wearing yellow spectacles before bed can help you sleep. Exposure to artificial light — particularly blue light emitted by devices such as laptops and phones — at night can reduce or delay the body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that acts as a signal for the onset of sleep.

Amber- coloured lenses block blue light, but allow all other light to pass through.

In a new study, people wore yellow or clear lenses for two hours before bed for seven days. Results in the Journal of Psychiatric Research show those with amber lenses had improved sleep quality and lower insomnia scores.