Neonatal Jaundice & Hyperbilirubinemia Flashcards
7 cards from real Low Risk Neonatal Nurse Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Neonatal Jaundice & Hyperbilirubinemia flashcards as text
Jaundice appearing within the first 24 hours of life is always considered:
Answer: Pathologic and requiring immediate evaluation
Jaundice in the first 24 hours is always pathologic, most commonly due to hemolytic disease such as ABO or Rh incompatibility, and requires urgent evaluation.
Which tool provides hour-specific bilirubin thresholds to guide phototherapy decisions in newborns?
Answer: Bhutani nomogram (hour-specific bilirubin nomogram)
The Bhutani nomogram plots total serum bilirubin against postnatal age in hours and risk category to determine when phototherapy or further evaluation is needed.
What is the primary mechanism by which phototherapy reduces neonatal hyperbilirubinemia?
Answer: Converts unconjugated bilirubin into water-soluble isomers that can be excreted without hepatic conjugation
Phototherapy uses light energy to convert unconjugated bilirubin (lumirubin and photo-isomers) into water-soluble forms excreted in bile and urine without liver conjugation.
Which mother-infant blood type combination most commonly causes ABO incompatibility hemolytic disease?
Answer: Mother type O, infant type A or B
Type O mothers naturally carry anti-A and anti-B IgG antibodies that can cross the placenta and hemolyze red blood cells of a type A or B infant.
What is kernicterus?
Answer: Bilirubin-induced neurological dysfunction resulting from unconjugated bilirubin crossing the blood-brain barrier
Kernicterus refers to the chronic neurological damage caused by high levels of unconjugated bilirubin depositing in brain tissue, potentially causing cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and cognitive impairment.
Which feeding practice is most effective in reducing physiologic jaundice in breastfed newborns?
Answer: Frequent breastfeeding 8–12 times per day to promote meconium passage and reduce enterohepatic recirculation
Frequent breastfeeding stimulates meconium passage, which reduces enterohepatic recirculation of bilirubin, lowering serum bilirubin levels.
The Kramer scale is used by neonatal nurses to assess what?
Answer: The cephalocaudal progression of jaundice from the head downward to estimate bilirubin level
The Kramer scale divides the body into five zones (head to soles of feet), with jaundice progressing caudally; higher zones correlate with higher estimated serum bilirubin levels.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- nccwebsite.org — Passing score, renewal, retake policy, score validity, test delivery, eligibility, fees, exam format, registration deadline, time limit · verified Oct 2026