Comparison between two preparations of human serum albumin in treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia

Abstract

Thirty-six newborn infants with normal birth weights and with uncomplicated hyperbilirubinaemia, treated with light, were studied. At onset of phototherapy the infants received intravenously 1 g human serum albumin (HSA) per kg body weight as a 9% solution. Two different preparations of HAS were used and compared. One of these, HSAI, contained sodium caprylate and N-acetyltryptophan, 5 mmol/l of each, as stabilizers. HSAII contained only caprylate, 5 mmol/l. Nineteen infants received HSAI and seventeen infants HSAII. The reserve albumin for binding of bilirubin, measured by the [14C] MADDS method, was low in both preparations in vitro. During the infusion, the serum concentrations of albumin and reserve albumin increased and the serum unconjugated bilirubin concentration decreased, resulting in a fall in the index of plasma bilirubin toxicity in all infants. After completion of the infusion, the serum concentrations of albumin and reserve albumin declined, and a slight rise in index occurred. The increase in the serum reserve albumin concentration was markedly higher during infusion of HSAII than of HSAI. It is concluded that infusion of both HSA preparations during phototherapy provides an immediate protection against bilirubin encephalopathy. HSAI is inferior to HSAII, probably due to its content of N-acetyltryptophan.