Screening for newborn jaundice: There’s an app for that!

A new smartphone app uses the device’s built-in camera and cloud connectivity to screen newborn babies for jaundice, a fairly common condition that may require medical attention.

by John Tyburski

Copyright © Daily Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

First published at Daily Digest News on August 28, 2014

Home health screening comes one step closer as scientists reveal a new smartphone app that allows parents of newborn babies to screen their little ones for jaundice, a common condition that can go unnoticed.

University of Washington researchers announced Wednesday that they have tested the app, aptly called “Bilicam,” and found that it works just as well as, if not better than, the current screening approach, but parents can do the screening from home. If they get a positive result, the researchers say the parents can then follow up with a visit to the pediatrician. Otherwise, the app may save them the trip and unnecessary testing.

“Virtually every baby gets jaundiced, and we’re sending them home from the hospital even before bilirubin levels reach their peak,” said James Taylor, professor of pediatrics and medical director of the newborn nursery at the University of Washington Medical Center. “This smartphone test is really for babies in the first few days after they go home. A parent or health care provider can get an accurate picture of bilirubin to bridge the gap after leaving the hospital.”

The development team will present their project and results from human subject tests at the International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing which will occur in Seattle next month.

Jaundice presents as yellowing of the skin caused by an accumulation of a chemical called bilirubin. Bilirubin is a natural breakdown product of heme, the iron-containing chemical that carries oxygen molecules in red blood cells. As red blood cells undergo normal death, heme is recycled in the liver.

In many newborns whose livers do not keep up with the heme recycling demands, bilirubin can build up and cause jaundice. Left untreated, jaundice can cause brain damage and a potentially deadly condition known as kernicterus.

The app works by detecting yellow discoloration in the neonate’s skin. To accommodate all lighting conditions, camera differences, and skin tones, the user places a standardized calibration card on the infant’s belly that is captured in the photograph.

“This is a way to provide peace of mind for the parents of newborns,” says Shwetak Patel, UW associate professor of computer science and engineering and of electrical engineering. “The advantage of doing the analysis in the cloud is that our algorithms can be improved over time.”