High-intensity, collapsible phototherapy device for neonatal jaundice for home use

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately 8% of all newborns risk permanent neurotoxic brain injury due severe neonatal jaundice (SNJ). This condition, generally occurring in the first two weeks of life, is almost always cured with high- intensityblue light phototherapy In the United States, most phototherapy is delivered in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or inpatient nursery because effective, high-intensity devices are designed for that environment. This current care practice has the undesirable consequence of separating mothers and babies during a developmentally vulnerable time while breastfeeding is being established. Approximately 250,000 otherwise well newborns require phototherapy each year. The annual estimated health care cost fortreating SNJ in hospitals is in excess of 200 million. Little Sparrows Technologies LLC has developed the Bili-Hut a novel, collapsible, high-intensity, radial array phototherapy device for home use. Current phototherapy devices sufficiently portabl