In today’s talk we will be focusing on hypothermia cooling and HIE. Since September is NICU awareness month, this is also a good time to mention how important the medical professionals are who work to provide critical care to these babies and families in need.
One thing that parents must keep in mind when looking to understand this topic is that hypothermia cooling is a type of treatment that can be used for an HIE injury. It is not a cure. Unfortunately, currently there is no cure for HIE, or cerebral palsy (CP) for that matter.
Hypothermia Cooling…
HIE is short for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. From a basic standpoint HIE is a reduced level of blood and oxygen which can lead to a brain injury. There can be many causes of HIE. Without going too far outside the scope of this article, causes can be tied to genetic and developmental issues in the baby, to umbilical cord, placenta, and uterine issues, among other things. Birth trauma can also be linked to the cause of an HIE diagnosis. When certain criteria is met, doctors can move to hypothermia cooling for the baby.
Doctors look to use hypothermia cooling to lessen the severity of the brain injury. Cooling the baby is one way in which doctors look to achieve this result. With that said, remember what was discussed earlier, the cooling is a type of treatment and not a cure so to speak.
The treatment is performed within 6 hours of birth and must be done continuous for 72 hours. While the cooling is being performed, doctors and medical professionals can also provide other types of care to the baby as needed.
In some cases, if hypothermia cooling is a suggested treatment but the current hospital is not able to offer the treatment, the baby may be moved to another facility which can accommodate the treatment. To read more on hypothermia cooling visit the link HERE.
Thanks for reading from your friends at HIE Resource Place.