Chilling results
May 31, 2012
REDUCING the whole body
temperature of brain injured
newborns during the hours after
birth significantly lowers the risk of
death and disability, according to a
new study published in the New
England Journal of Medicine.
The study looked at how the use
of whole-body hypothermia
technique at birth protected
oxygen-deprived newborns from
death and mental disability during
first 6 -7 years of life.
The initial study, published when
the infants were 18 months of age,
found that reducing the cooling
process was successful in
significantly lowering the risk of
death and physical and mental
disability by more than 15% among
the cooled newborns.
The current study looked at that
protection during the first 6-7 years
of life, and found that it continued
without any significant fall-off.
"I don't think there's any doubt
that these findings will have a
significant impact on the medical
treatment of newborns who
experience oxygen deprivation at
birth,” said study author, Dr Seetha
Shankaran, Professor of Pediatrics
for the DMC Children's Hospital of
Michigan.
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