Curr Treat Option Ne
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Neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in full term infants has been associated with a high risk for morbidity and mortality. The patho-physiology of brain injury following hypoxia-ischemia, noted in preclinical models, is a cascade of events resulting from excitotoxic and oxidative injury culminating in cell death. Hypothermia has been noted to be protective by inhibiting various events in the cascade of injury. ⋯ All infants should have magnetic resonance brain imaging studies within 1 to 2 weeks of age. Information from the neurological examination, aEEG and MRI studies will be helpful in discussing prognosis with parents. All infants should be followed for a minimum of 18 months to evaluate growth parameters and neurodevelopment al outcome.
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Therapeutic hypothermia has proven neuroprotective effects in global cerebral ischemia. Indications for hypothermia induction include cardiac arrest and neonatal asphyxia. The two general methods of induced hypothermia are either surface cooling or endovascular cooling. ⋯ Specifying core practitioners who are well-versed in established guidelines can help integrate the multidisciplinary team that is needed to successfully implement cooling protocols. Reducing shivering to make heat exchange more efficient with tighter temperature control enables quicker time to target temperature and avoids rewarming which can lead to inadvertent increase in intracranial pressure and cerebral edema. Promising applications but yet to be determined is whether hypothermia treatment can improve outcomes in acute ischemic stroke or traumatic brain injury.