Influence of free fatty acids and glucose infusion on serum bilirubin and bilirubin binding to albumin: Clinical implications

We studied the risk of a large group of jaundiced neonates for bilirubin encephalopathy by serial assessment of their reserve serum albumin binding capacity as measured by the saturation index test. In 1271 infants with serum bilirubin concentration >10 mg/dl, 12% had a saturation index (SI) of 7% or greater and therefore were clinically at or near risk for bilirubin encephalopathy. Treatment with glucose infusion (1 gm/kg over one hour) was highly effective in lowering the SI (Δ=−3.7%, P