OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and safety of whole body cooling in newborn infants with perinatal asphyxial encephalopathy in a low resource setting. DESIGN: Feasibility trial. SETTING: Tertiary care perinatal centre. SUBJECTS: Infants born at > 35 weeks gestation with perinatal asphyxia were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Infants were cooled to a rectal temperature of 33 ± 0.5°C for 72 hours using cloth-covered ice-gel packs. Vital parameters were monitored continuously. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the achievement of target temperature within 1 hour of initiation of treatment and maintaining the target temperature for 72 hours. Adverse events and possible complications of hypothermia were the secondary outcomes measured. RESULTS: Twenty infants were included in the study. The mean time taken to achieve target rectal temperature was 52 ± 25 minutes. The mean rectal temperature during cooling was 32.9 ± 0.11ºC. The target temperature could be maintained for 72 hours without difficulty in all babies. Adverse events observed during cooling were thrombocytopenia (25%), sinus bradycardia (25%), deranged bleeding parameters (20%), aposteatonecrosis (15%), hyperglycemia (15%), hypoglycemia (10%), hypoxemia (5%), life-threatening coagulopathy (5%) and death (5%). Shivering was noted in many of the babies, especially in the initial phase of cooling. CONCLUSION: Whole body cooling in term infants with perinatal asphyxia is achievable, safe and inexpensive in a low-resource setting.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and safety of whole body cooling in newborn infants with perinatal asphyxial encephalopathy in a low resource setting. DESIGN: Feasibility trial. SETTING: Tertiary care perinatal centre. SUBJECTS:Infants born at > 35 weeks gestation with perinatal asphyxia were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS:Infants were cooled to a rectal temperature of 33 ± 0.5°C for 72 hours using cloth-covered ice-gel packs. Vital parameters were monitored continuously. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the achievement of target temperature within 1 hour of initiation of treatment and maintaining the target temperature for 72 hours. Adverse events and possible complications of hypothermia were the secondary outcomes measured. RESULTS: Twenty infants were included in the study. The mean time taken to achieve target rectal temperature was 52 ± 25 minutes. The mean rectal temperature during cooling was 32.9 ± 0.11ºC. The target temperature could be maintained for 72 hours without difficulty in all babies. Adverse events observed during cooling were thrombocytopenia (25%), sinus bradycardia (25%), deranged bleeding parameters (20%), aposteatonecrosis (15%), hyperglycemia (15%), hypoglycemia (10%), hypoxemia (5%), life-threatening coagulopathy (5%) and death (5%). Shivering was noted in many of the babies, especially in the initial phase of cooling. CONCLUSION: Whole body cooling in term infants with perinatal asphyxia is achievable, safe and inexpensive in a low-resource setting.
Authors: Susan E Jacobs; Marie Berg; Rod Hunt; William O Tarnow-Mordi; Terrie E Inder; Peter G Davis Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2013-01-31
Authors: Rosemary D Higgins; Tonse Raju; A David Edwards; Denis V Azzopardi; Carl L Bose; Reese H Clark; Donna M Ferriero; Ronnie Guillet; Alistair J Gunn; Henrik Hagberg; Deborah Hirtz; Terrie E Inder; Susan E Jacobs; Dorothea Jenkins; Sandra Juul; Abbot R Laptook; Jerold F Lucey; Mervyn Maze; Charles Palmer; Luann Papile; Robert H Pfister; Nicola J Robertson; Mary Rutherford; Seetha Shankaran; Faye S Silverstein; Roger F Soll; Marianne Thoresen; William F Walsh Journal: J Pediatr Date: 2011-08-27 Impact factor: 4.406