Cycled Phototherapy

Cycled Phototherapy: A Safer Effective Method to Control the Serum Bilirubin Of Extremely Premature Infants?

Cycled phototherapy (PT) is likely to increase survival over that with continuous PT among extremely premature infants (< 750 g BW or <27 weeks GA).

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Premature Infant; Hyper Bilirubinemia
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Phototherapy lights

Detailed Description

Were they not delivered early, extremely premature infants would normally develop in darkness within the uterus for 3-4 more months longer before birth. Yet, the routine care of these infants has involved the use of uninterrupted (continuous) exposure to bright light during phototherapy (PT), a treatment method that neonatologists have assumed has no serious adverse effects on even the most immature of newborns.

Immaturity, thin translucent skin, and a multitude of other problems may make extremely premature infants highly vulnerable to the photo-oxidative injury, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, reduced cerebral and mesenteric blood flow, or other serious potential hazards of uninterrupted exposure to PT that have now been identified. Such hazards were not recognized when continuous PT was widely incorporated into neonatal care, and the survival rate of extremely premature infants (<27 wks gestation or <750 g birth weight) was much lower than today.

PT rapidly photoisomerizes bilirubin in the subcutaneous tissues and vasculature, and six trials of cycled PT have demonstrated that use of cycled PT reduces the total hours of PT and results in minimal or no increase in peak TSB over that with continuous PT in term or moderately preterm infants. Recent findings from a pilot study (NCT01944696) support a PT regimen for this Cycled Phototherapy protocol.

Infants born at one of the Neonatal Research Network centers, ≤ 750 grams at birth and/or < 27 weeks gestation at birth by best OB estimate will be considered for this study.

Those who qualify will be randomized to either cycled PT or continuous PT. The cycled phototherapy begins with >15 min/h cycled PT regimen and increased to 30 min/h if the TSB is 8.0-9.9 and 60 min/h if the TSB is >10 mg/dL. Those randomized to continuous phototherapy will undergo continuous exposure,as that is commonly used in NRN centers.

The PT lamp position will be adjusted to meet the irradiance (µW/cm2/nm) goal of 22 at the umbilicus. The irradiance goal in both groups will be increased from 22 to 33 at a TSB of 10-13 and to 40 at a TSB >13.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1700
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
      • University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • California
    • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304
      • Stanford University
    • San Diego, California, United States, 92123
      • Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30303
      • Emory University
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Northwestern Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
  • Iowa
    • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
      • University of Iowa
  • Mississippi
    • Jackson, Mississippi, United States, 39216
      • University of Mississippi Medical Center - Children's of Mississippi
  • New Mexico
    • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87131
      • University of New Mexico
  • New York
    • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
      • University of Rochester
  • North Carolina
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
      • Duke University
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
      • RTI International
  • Ohio
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45267
      • Cincinnati Children's Medical Center
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106
      • Case Western Reserve University, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43205
      • Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • Univeristy of Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
    • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02905
      • Brown University - Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235
      • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
  • Utah
    • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84108
      • University of Utah

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 5 months to 6 months (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Infants is inborn
2. Infant is ≤ 750 grams at birth and/or < 27 weeks gestation at birth by best OB estimate
3. Infant is 12-36 hours of age.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Unable to enroll infant by 36 hours of age
2. Previous phototherapy
3. Known hemolytic disease
4. TSB reported as >6.0 mg/dL before 12 hours age
5. Major anomaly
6. Overt nonbacterial infection
7. Infant is likely to expire soon: Limiting or withdrawal of intensive care is being recommended to the parents, the parents are requesting withdrawal of care, or the pH is < 6.80 or persistent bradycardia with hypoxemia for >2h.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Continuous Phototherapy; Continuous phototherapy	Device: Phototherapy lights; Phototherapy lights used continuously or timed, following an algorithm based upon TSB levels.
Experimental: Cycled Phototherapy; Cycled phototherapy at timed intervals, dependent upon total serum bilirum (TSB) levels.	Device: Phototherapy lights; Phototherapy lights used continuously or timed, following an algorithm based upon TSB levels.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of participants survival to discharge	Number of Participants discharged from hospital alive, after birth.	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of hours of Phototherapy	The reported values will be the mean total hours of phototherapy during the two week intervention period.	Start until the end of intervention period (duration of 2 weeks)
Number of irradiance hours	The reported values will be the mean total hours of irradiance during the two week intervention period.	Start until the end of intervention period (duration of 2 weeks)
Peak Concentration of Total Serum Bilirubin	The reported values will be the mean peak total serum bilirubin (mg/dL) during the two week intervention period.	Start until the end of intervention period (duration of 2 weeks)
Concentration of Total Serum Bilirubin	The reported values will be the mean total serum bilirubin (mg/dL) during the two week intervention period.	Start until the end of intervention period (duration of 2 weeks)
Number of Participants with Major neonatal morbidity	Major neonatal morbidity is defined as a severe ICH, ventricular enlargement of cystic white matter disease, BPD, late onset sepsis, NEC or spontaneous intestinal perforation, or >grade 3 ROP before discharge.	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Severe ICH, as a component of the predischarge morbidity	As recorded for the sonongram with the most severe finding in the blood/echodensity in the ventricle or blood/echodensity in the parenchyma	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Ventricular enlargement of cystic white matter disease, as a component predischarge morbidity	If a MRI was done: ventricular size enlarged, cystic PVL or porencephalic /posthemorrhagic cyst/multicystic encephalomalacia observed. If a MRI was not done: the same items as above for sonograms after day 28.	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), as a component predischarge morbidity	BPD defined as highest FiO2 at 36 wk: >0.21	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Late onset sepsis, as a component predischarge morbidity	Late onset blood culture positive septicemia/bacteremia at >72 hours of age.	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) or spontaneous intestinal perforation, as a component predischarge morbidity	Either proven NEC or spontaneous gastrointestinal perforation without proven NEC.	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Grade 3 (or greater) retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), as a component predischarge morbidity	Stage 3 ROP observed in either eye.	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) treated with surgery or NSAIDS	PDA treated with surgery or NSAIDS (indomethacin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen)	Birth to hospital discharge, up to 120 days of life
Number of Participants with Neurodevelopmental Impairment	Neurodevelopmental Impairment (NDI), as assessed in a sub-population of follow-up of infants <27 wks gestation. Severe NDI will be defined by any of the following: a BSID III cognitive score < 70, Gross Motor Functional (GMF) Level of 3-5, blindness (<20/200 vision) or profound hearing loss (inability to understand commands despite amplification); moderate NDI will be defined as a BSID III cognitive score 70-84 and either a GMF level of 2 or a hearing deficit requiring amplification to understand commands or unilateral blindness; mild NDI will be defined by a cognitive score 70-84, or a cognitive score ≥ 85 and any of the following: presence of a GMF level 1 or hearing loss not requiring amplification. Normal (no NDI) will be defined by a cognitive score ≥ 85 and absence of any neurosensory deficits.	Birth to 26 months corrected age
Number of Participants with Neurodevelopmental Impairment or Death	NDI defined in outcome #9	Birth to 26 months corrected age

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: NICHD Neonatal Research Network
• Collaborators: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jon Tyson, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 16, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 4, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 23, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): April 25, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 18, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 17, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Phototherapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Obstetric Labor, Premature; Obstetric Labor Complications; Pregnancy Complications; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Premature Birth; Infant, Newborn, Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: NICHD-NRN-0061; UG1HD034216 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD027904 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD021364 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD027853 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD040689 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD040492 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD027851 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD087229 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD053109 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD068278 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD068244 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD068263 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD027880 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD053089 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD087226 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD112079 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD112097 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1HD112100 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); 3U24HD095254-07 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: NIH has had a long-standing policy to share and make available to the public the results and accomplishments of the activities that it funds. The NRN plans to share de-identified data after final publication in an NIH supported data repository such as the NICHD Data and Specimen Hub (https://dash.nichd.nih.gov)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No