Therapeutic Hypothermia in Perinatal Asphyxia

Dr Rabindran Rabindran,Dr D Sharad Gedam

doi:10.17511/ijpr.2016.i02.10

Abstract

Therapeutic hypothermia for infants with perinatal asphyxia has been studied in several randomised controlled trials. There is convincing evidence that moderate therapeutic hypothermia (33-34°C for 72 h), when initiated within 6 h after birth among term & near-term infants (≥35 weeks) with moderate to severe HIE reduces the risk of death or major disability & increases the rate of disability-free survival at 6-7 years of age.

Highlights

Asphyxia is a major problem worldwide as 10% to 60% of affected infants die, & at least 25% of survivors have long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae
There is convincing evidence that moderate therapeutic hypothermia (33-34°C for 72 h), when initiated within 6 h after birth among term & near-term infants (≥35 weeks) with moderate to severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) reduces the risk of death or major disability & increases the rate of disability-free survival at 6-7 years of age
Whole body cooling provides homogeneous cooling whereas selective head cooling provides greater cooling to the periphery of the brain than to the deeper brain structures

Summary

Introduction

Asphyxia is a major problem worldwide as 10% to 60% of affected infants die, & at least 25% of survivors have long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae. Therapeutic hypothermia for infants with perinatal asphyxia has been studied in several randomised controlled trials.

Results

Conclusion