Reducing Brain Temperature at Birth May Benefit At-Risk Infants, According to a Commentary Published in December Pediatrics

CHICAGO, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Small reductions in brain temperature following birth can have a long-lasting neuroprotective effect for newborns who have difficulty establishing respiration after delivery, according to a commentary published in the December Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. John S. Wyatt, F.R.C.P., University College London Medical School, London, England, and Marianne Thoresen, D.M., Ulleval University Hospital, Oslo, Norway, report that studies done in this decade confirm the results of research dating back to the 1950s on the use of hypothermia treatment for at-risk newborns. In one of these early studies 65 infants who were born unresponsive were immediately treated in a specially constructed cold water bath to lower body temperature. Of these infants, 52 survived and none showed any evidence of cerebral palsy. The commentary suggests that the rapid cooling of hypothermia treatment allows for prolonged survival, giving a newborn's cerebral oxygen supply and demand an opportunity to return to balance. Other studies detailed in the commentary have also shown brain hypothermia may prolong the "therapeutic window" for infants born with neurological difficulties following oxygen shortage during delivery, allowing other medications time to work. Despite potential negative side effects, and the need for large clinical trials to determine optimal timing and duration of treatment, the authors feel the use of brain hypothermia in treating some infants with neurological difficulties is, "currently the most promising option for a clinically feasible neural rescue therapy." Jerold Lucey, M.D., editor of Pediatrics, follows the commentary with his views on the promise of this treatment, adding that it could set the stage for new progress in the prevention of perinatal brain damage.

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