Thus far, the most effective medical intervention for infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is hypothermia therapy, or cooling treatment. When administered very shortly after birth or the oxygen-depriving incident, this therapy can reverse brain damage and minimize (or in some cases prevent) permanent harm. However, hypothermia therapy is not always effective, and additional solutions for…
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…
Babies that have sustained oxygen-depriving injuries (perinatal asphyxia) during the birthing process can benefit greatly from prompt administration of hypothermia therapy. Cooling an injured newborn to a below-normal temperature can give brain cells a chance to repair themselves, which stops the damage from spreading and becoming permanent. Hypothermia therapy can prevent or decrease the severity…
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…
What Does it Mean When a Baby Is Taken to the NICU For Brain Cooling? We have found that some of our clients come to us and say that their child was taken to the NICU for brain cooling, but they weren’t given clear information about why their child was receiving the therapy, or even…
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…
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…
A 2015 clinical trial found that treatment for severe and moderate neonatal seizures can reduce the impact of cumulative electrographic seizure burden in infants born with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). This American Academy of Pediatrics trial used EEG video (video to monitor brain activity) and standard medication for neonatal seizures to reduce the impact. The…
A new University of Michigan Health System study, Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT), will compare three drugs that treat seizures in patients. The study aims to reduce brain damage and increase the likelihood of patient survival during prolonged and dangerous seizures. For years, doctors have tried different methods to stop severe seizures in adults…
