BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common problems in neonatal period. Considering that the most effective and most commonly used neonatal jaundice treatment is phototherapy, the use of complementary therapies such as massage and herbal medicines is common in our society to reduce jaundice. Therefore, the present study was conducted to compare the effect of cotoneaster manna drop (bilineaster) and massage on bilirubin in neonates under phototherapy.
METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 68 neonates admitted to the pediatric ward of Vali-Asr Hospital in Birjand in 2015. The neonates were randomly divided into three groups. The control group (n=21) received the routine care. The massage group (n=23) received massage by field technique, three times a day for 15 minutes in addition to phototherapy. The cotoneaster manna drop (bilineaster) group (n=24) received three oral drops of bilineaster for every eight kilograms of body weight in addition to phototherapy. Then, the rate of reduction in neonatal bilirubin was compared in the three groups (IRCT: 2016101830370N1).
FINDINGS: The mean reduction rate of bilirubin per hour in the first 24 hours was 0.27±0.19 in the control group, 0.23±0.17 in the massage group and 0.25±0.18 in the bilineaster drop group. In addition, the mean reduction rate in the second 24 hours was 0.4±0.26 in the control group, 0.22±0.18 in the massage group and 0.26±0.22 in the bilineaster drop group. In the third 24 hours, the mean reduction rate was 0.19±0.17 in the control group, 0.9±0.13 in the massage group and 0.7±0.1 in the bilineaster drop group, which had no significant difference (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that field massage and administration of cotoneaster manna drop (bilineaster) during neonates’ hospitalization had no effect on the reduction of bilirubin in neonates under phototherapy and these interventions cannot be effective