New device for non-invasive screening of bilirubin level in new-borns

SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) develops a “No-touch” & “Painless” device for non-invasive screening of bilirubin level in new-borns. The device called “AJO-Neo” is developed by Professor Samir K. Pal & his group at SNBNCBS, Kolkata, an autonomous research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

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Key-Points

According to the study conducted by the SNBNCBS team in NRS medical college, the newly developed device (AJO-Neo) is reliable in measuring bilirubin levels in preterm, and term neonates irrespective of gestational or postnatal age, sex, risk factors, feeding behavior or skin color.

The device is found to deliver an almost instantaneous report (about 10 seconds) to a concerned doctor, who is sitting 10000 km away from the point of care. This is a significant achievement compared to the conventional “blood test” method, which may take more than 4 hours to generate the report.

It has to be noted that detection of neonatal blood bilirubin (Hyperbilirubinemia) faster is extremely important for therapeutic management in order to avoid Kernicterus leading to Neuo-psychiatry problems in neonatal subjects.

AJO-Neo also shows several advantages compared to other similar imported devices in the market.