Is It Time for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Hypothermia for Mild Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy?

The time is right to perform a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of neuroprotection for neonates with mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). According to published reports, more than 600 infants with mild HIE have undergone hypothermia at 33.5 °C for 72 hours.1-6 Data on neuroimaging findings following cooling for mild HIE from these reports are now becoming available. Depending on the cohort evaluated, whether retrospective or prospective, and whether infants received cooling or not, 11%-40% of infants with mild HIE have brain injury a nd watershed injury is seen more frequently than basal ganglia or thalamus injury.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research