Hypothermia therapy, or brain cooling, is the standard treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). It can reduce the extent of permanent brain damage if given very shortly after birth or the oxygen-depriving incident (within six hours, though there may be some benefit from the therapy up to 24 hours). Using a cooling cap or blanket, the…
The STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) defines sensory processing as “the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate responses.” SPD occurs when these sensory signals are not detected by the brain or are not matched with the correct responses. This can cause a person with sensory…
Each month, we’re donating to a pediatric fund at Michigan Medicine, the healthcare system run by the University of Michigan. This month, we turn our support towards ataxia research conducted by the Neurology Department. Michigan Medicine provides high-quality care to patients, educates future scientists and physicians, and conducts research into new treatments and therapies. Neurology…
What Is Therapeutic Hypothermia? Therapeutic hypothermia has proven effectiveness in minimizing permanent brain damage after hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE. HIE is a type of brain injury caused by a lack of oxygenated blood flow. In infants, it can occur due to complications in late pregnancy, birth, or the neonatal period. What Do We Already Know…
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a type of birth injury that occurs when an baby’s brain is deprived of oxygenated blood at or around the time of birth. HIE is a major cause of neurological damage in term and near-term infants, and accounts for about 25% of deaths during the neonatal period. Even short durations of…
Currently, the only available treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), besides supportive care and therapy to mitigate the symptoms, is hypothermia therapy. This involves cooling a baby down to a below-normal temperature in order to allow the brain to recover from a hypoxic-ischemic injury and limit the spread of damage. Hypothermia therapy is known to reduce…
Brain cooling is a procedure that treats hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is a neonatal brain injury often caused by medical mistakes. Medical mistakes are a patient safety problem – they often can be prevented, but when proper care is not provided, patients are harmed. It is the duty of medical practitioners to prevent errors from occurring – if…
Hypothermia Cooling Therapy: Looking Back at the Standards of Care and Forwards to the Future While hypothermia cooling therapy (also know as therapeutic hypothermia or hypothermia treatment) is now the standard of care for treating newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), this was not always the case. The practices of head cooling, whole-body cooling or…
A new research paper released in Pediatrics examines the impact of administering high-dose erythropoietin (EPO) in conjunction with hypothermia therapy (brain cooling) for babies with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The paper describes the result of Phase II clinical trials. Background: Hypothermia Therapy as the Standard of Care for Treating HIE The standard of care for babies…
Brain research is an ongoing process, and, at the moment, hypothermia therapy (using a cooling cap, cooling pad, or cooling blanket) is the standard of care when it comes to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Additive or supplemental measures in addition to hypothermia are still in preclinical or clinical trials, so it is too early to say…
