Mathematically modeling transient temperature variation in a human neonate undergoing intensive blue light phototherapy for management of hyperbilirubinemia

Neonatal jaundice secondary to hyperbilirubinemia occurs in 60% of all term newborns and nearly all preterm newborns in the US. Severe cases of this may lead to chronic encephalopathy, neurologic deficits, and, in some cases, death. Intensive blue light phototherapy involves irradiation of a patient with high intensity light and is widely used for treatment of severe hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperthermia occurs in some neonates during intensive blue light phototherapy, and the cause of this is unclear. Body temperature of a hypothetical neonate undergoing intensive blue light phototherapy is mathematically modeled to investigate the cause of hyperthermia