I think it is for only babies in these situations that have been identified as clearly having been deprived of oxygen during birth. But it makes me wonder about all these babies that are taken away from mum's chest (particulary while she is being sewn up after a c-sect) because the baby will get too cold!! It might make for good argument to let babies stay skin to skin and let mum's body temp do the warming and cooling thing. I'm not a midwife yet so don't understand as well as the rest of you perhaps. But that's my humble opinion. Honey ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 7:29 PM Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] fyi
> So, do we keep the baby warm or do we uncover it and let it cool? MM > > > Cooling blankets may reduce newborn brain damage > > BY RONI RABIN > STAFF WRITER > > October 12, 2005, 8:22 PM EDT > > Lowering a newborn's body temperature after birth reduces risk of brain > damage and death for babies who are deprived of oxygen before or during > delivery, a new study has found. > > Within hours of being born, newborns in the study were placed on cooling > blankets that lowered their body temperature to about 92 degrees. The > blankets, which had water circulating through them, were set at 41 > degrees. After three days, the babies were gradually warmed to a normal > body temperature, which usually ranges from 99.7 degrees to 99.3 degrees. > > The study of 208 infants at 15 medical centers was reported by > researchers in the Neonatal Research Network of the National Institute > of Child Health and Human Development, and appears today in the New > England Journal of Medicine. > > "This is a very exciting, landmark study," said lead author Dr. Seetha > Shankaran, head of the division of neonatal-perinatal medicine at Wayne > State University School of Medicine in Detroit. > > But the sponsors also urged caution, saying further research is > necessary and warning that most hospitals should not attempt to the > technique without training of personnel. > > The babies must be closely monitored and strict protocols must be > followed because temperature fluctuations could be harmful, the study > authors said. > > One in every 1,000 to 2,000 babies born suffers from hypoxic ischemic > encephalopathy, which occurs when the brain doesn't get enough oxygen or > blood in the hours before birth or during labor and delivery. These > babies are at markedly increased risk of disability, including blindness > and cerebral palsy, as well as death. > > Babies who received the cooling treatment fared better than babies > provided with standard treatment. Of the 208 babies in the study, 102 > infants were randomly assigned to undergo the experimental cooling while > 106 received standard care. > > When the babies were examined at 18 to 22 months, 62 percent of the > babies who received the standard treatment had died or developed a mild > or severe disability, compared to 44 percent of those who had the > cooling treatment. When all three outcomes -- death, moderate disability > and severe disability -- were pooled, findings were statistically > significant. > > Among those who were cooled, 24 died, compared with 38 deaths in the > control group. > > Fifteen infants who had the experimental treatment developed cerebral > palsy and five went blind, compared with 19 and nine, respectively, of > thosee who had standard care. > > Infants who received the cooling treatment also scored better on mental > and physical development measures, the authors said. The children will > be followed until they are 6 or 7 years old. > > Several other studies investigating the benefits of cooling treatment > are under way. Researchers at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde > Park have participated in a study that used a cooling "cap" to mitigate > brain damage in newborns similarly afflicted by oxygen deprivation, and > other studies are under way in Australia and England. > > "They key thing is that the cooling, whether by blanket or by cap, helps > some babies," said Dr. Andrew Steele, a neonatologist at Schneider > Children's Hospital involved in the cooling cap study. > > Shankaran explained that when the brain is deprived of oxygen and blood, > a cascade of abnormal events occurs, including formation of toxins and > amino acids that damage brain cells. Cooling appears to work by reducing > the energy of the brain itself, she said, thereby decreasing the > abnormal toxins and actually reducing the swelling of brain cells. > > "It is a very promising, evolving therapy, but there's a lot more work > to be done, alot of questions still to be answered," said Dr. Ann Stark, > chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on the Fetus and > Newborn Health. > > Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc. > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
