An interventional study of total body massage and photo therapy in Preterm and Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia, sponsored by Ain Shams University. Completed at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 1 Hour to 30 Days. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-06.
Sponsored by Ain Shams University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Different methods are subscribed for the lowering of the bilirubin level, the most important of which are: exchange transfusion, phototherapy and using pharmacological agents. However, the remedial practice that has become most common for curing hyperbilirubinemia is phototherapy, has several side-effects. Thus there is constant research going on to find a substitute for phototherapy or to lessen its duration such as total body massage.
Neonatal jaundice or hyperbilirubinemia is mostly cured (20% cases) though it can still prove hazardous and need medical intervention The most life-threatening case arising from this condition is kernicterus. Unfortunately, this condition is fatal in 75% cases and 80% of those who stay alive do not escape unscathed and exhibit problems related to the nervous system. Thus a timely cure of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia has become a major preventive measure Different methods are subscribed for the lowering of the bilirubin level, the most important of which are: exchange transfusion, phototherapy and using pharmacological agents . However, the most used treatment for curing hyperbilirubinemia is phototherapy, which has several side-effects ranging from doing harm to the cornea and the genital region to causing dehydration, diarrhoea and bronze kid syndrome. Thus there is constant research going on to find a substitute for phototherapy or to lessen the duration of the same.
Infant massage is a traditional practice in several regions of the world, to be more precise, in the cultures of Africa and Asia. A survey done recently in Bangladesh showed that 96% of the caretakers of neonates engaged in massaging the whole body of the infant one to three times a day. Healthcare practitioners in the West have also started to show interest in infant massage, especially, as an interventional measure for infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) where mostly the environment is stressful and lacks adequate tactile stimulation. In order to promote infant growth, more parents and caretakers of low-risk babies are being trained in massage in the Western world studies have showed that massage stimulation encourages the passing of more meconium containing bilirubin by newborns and suggested that neonate massage can contribute toward the prevention of neonatal jaundice and the controlling of bilirubin to within normal range Taking all the above into account, this research was carried out with the aim of studying the effect of massage, using Field's Technique, on neonatal jaundice in preterm newborns on phototherapy.
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This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 84 across 1,689 interventional studies indexed under Premature Birth.
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Exclusion Criteria:
patients received total body massage and phototherapy
Procedure: total body massage · Device: photo therapy
neonates received phototherapy only
Device: photo therapy
Massage was done using the Field's Technique after starting phototherapy till discontinuation of phototherapy for 15 - 20 minutes, three times daily 1 hour after the morning, mid- day feeds and at night.
neonates received phototherapy for the neonatal hyperbilirubinemia
stool motions per day
Number of times the newborn passes stool will be recorded daily throughout phototherapy and total body massage
Time frame: baseline and daily throughout study completion, an average of 3 months
bilirubin level
Serum bilirubin recorded on the start of treatment before any massage intervention and regular follow up till discontinuation of phototherapy and rebound level upon stoppage of phototherapy.
Time frame: baseline and throughout study completion, an average of 3 month
Plan to share: Yes — data can be shared upon reasonable request from the corresponding author
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Ain Shams University