THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA OF NEWBORNS: RECOMMENDATIONS OF UNIVERSITÄTSKLINIKUM CARL-GUSTAV-CARUS (DRESDEN, GERMANY)

Abstract

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is a modern standard of care for newborns with gestational age ≥36 weeks who have moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. The introduction of TH is based on evidence-based medicine, and multiple randomized controlled trials confirm its efficiency in significantly reducing the risk of death or severe infant disability. Recent practice emphasizes the vital importance of clearly defined protocols for TH and its use in neonatal care settings with facilities for multidisciplinary care and adequate resources for comprehensive monitoring and treatment.The article reports on the local protocol of TH in the neonatal intensive care unit of the University Hospital at Carl-Gustav-Carus at the Technical University Dresden (Dresden, Germany). TH is administered to newborns with moderate or severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy who were born at a gestational age of ≥ 36+0 weeks, are less than 6 hours old and have no signs of massive intracranial hemorrhage. Exclusion criteria are threat to life, congenital malformations, severe intracranial hemorrhage and poor prognosis. Whole-body cooling to an internal body temperature of 33.5°C is preferred. The cooling period is 72 hours, with warming at a rate of 0.2°C per hour, followed by normothermia over the next 48 hours.Comprehensive assessment of the infant's status includes the Thompson score, amplitude and standard electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging, control of blood coagulation, acid-base status and blood gases, etc. Follow-up therapy is aimed at providing adequate ventilatory support to prevent hypocapnia, sufficient fluid supply, effective analgesia and anticonvulsant therapy, etc. Emphasis is placed on the need for further cathemnestic monitoring of infants who underwent TH.