Brain Cooling Procedure for Babies with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy to Reduce Brain Damage
by
Bruce Fagel on Jun. 05, 2012
Accident & Injury Medical Malpractice Accident & Injury Personal Injury Accident & Injury Wrongful Death
Summary: Brain cooling is a modern procedure that can help reduce brain damage in newborn infants who do not receive an adequate supply of oxygen to the brain during the birthing process.
When a baby is born under difficult conditions resulting in a lack of oxygen supply to the brain, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE can result. The term HIE can be defined by a breakdown of its terms:
Hypoxia – a decreased amount of oxygen
Ischemia – a decreased amount of blood perfusing the brain
Encephalopathy – any dysfunction of the brain
If the baby’s brain is not receiving an adequate supply of oxygen, it will try to repair the problem. If the condition of HIE is a more mild form, the brain should be able to repair itself without any major problems. However, if the HIE is more serious, the brain can actually cause even greater damage when attempting to repair itself.
It’s important to note that during birth, many babies experience a minor reduction in the oxygen supply to the brain, therefore causing a small level of hypoxia, which is known as birth depression. The baby can tap into a reserve oxygen supply in the uterus through the placenta when this happens. When babies are born with a small level of hypoxia, doctors can stimulate them so they don’t receive major injuries to their brains.
HIE causes brain damage by depriving the brain cells of oxygen necessary for the cells to stay alive and function, and when this happens, the heartbeat begins to slow, causing further damage to the brain. The doctor must be careful in resuscitating the baby under these conditions because the sudden increase in the oxygen and blood to the brain can trigger a myriad of dangerous chemical responses that can cause even more serious brain damage. Many babies born with HIE will suffer from a variety of disorders including developmental delays, learning disabilities, vision or hearing problems, or cerebral palsy. Approximately 60% of all babies with severe HIE will die within the first years of their life.
When a baby is born with a severe level of hypoxia either before or during birth, causing HIE, there is a modern procedure known as brain cooling which can help reduce the damage to the baby’s brain, giving the baby a chance at a healthy life. Brain cooling has been proven to reduce the number of cerebral palsy cases and the number of deaths as well.
Brain cooling places the baby into a mild form of hypothermia, which is a cooling of the brain temperature. This is accomplished by using a special water cooled cap or a fluid filled blanket to lower the baby’s brain temperature by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius for 72 hours after birth. Research has demonstrated that permanent brain damage does not occur for a few hours after the brain is deprived of oxygen, thereby giving a window of opportunity to slow down the dangerous chemical reactions that take place and giving the cells in the brain a chance to repair the damage without overwhelming them.
Once the brain cooling procedure has been performed for 72 hours, the baby can be slowly brought back to normal body temperature over the next 6 hours. Doctor’s must be careful in determining if a baby is a candidate for the brain cooling procedure or risk additional brain damage or the death of the child. The following conditions must apply for a newborn baby to receive brain cooling:
If your baby suffered serious birth injuries including cerebral palsy, because of the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or hospital, you may have a medical malpractice claim. You should contact the best medical malpractice lawyer possible, such as Dr. Bruce Fagel right away for a free consultation at (800) 541-9376. Dr. Fagel is a leading birth injury attorney and a licensed physician with over 10 year’s emergency room experience. Dr. Fagel understands exactly how the birthing process should happen and where medical malpractice occurred during a birth injury.
Visit us on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birthinjury
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fagellaw
Hypoxia – a decreased amount of oxygen
Ischemia – a decreased amount of blood perfusing the brain
Encephalopathy – any dysfunction of the brain
If the baby’s brain is not receiving an adequate supply of oxygen, it will try to repair the problem. If the condition of HIE is a more mild form, the brain should be able to repair itself without any major problems. However, if the HIE is more serious, the brain can actually cause even greater damage when attempting to repair itself.
It’s important to note that during birth, many babies experience a minor reduction in the oxygen supply to the brain, therefore causing a small level of hypoxia, which is known as birth depression. The baby can tap into a reserve oxygen supply in the uterus through the placenta when this happens. When babies are born with a small level of hypoxia, doctors can stimulate them so they don’t receive major injuries to their brains.
HIE causes brain damage by depriving the brain cells of oxygen necessary for the cells to stay alive and function, and when this happens, the heartbeat begins to slow, causing further damage to the brain. The doctor must be careful in resuscitating the baby under these conditions because the sudden increase in the oxygen and blood to the brain can trigger a myriad of dangerous chemical responses that can cause even more serious brain damage. Many babies born with HIE will suffer from a variety of disorders including developmental delays, learning disabilities, vision or hearing problems, or cerebral palsy. Approximately 60% of all babies with severe HIE will die within the first years of their life.
When a baby is born with a severe level of hypoxia either before or during birth, causing HIE, there is a modern procedure known as brain cooling which can help reduce the damage to the baby’s brain, giving the baby a chance at a healthy life. Brain cooling has been proven to reduce the number of cerebral palsy cases and the number of deaths as well.
Brain cooling places the baby into a mild form of hypothermia, which is a cooling of the brain temperature. This is accomplished by using a special water cooled cap or a fluid filled blanket to lower the baby’s brain temperature by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius for 72 hours after birth. Research has demonstrated that permanent brain damage does not occur for a few hours after the brain is deprived of oxygen, thereby giving a window of opportunity to slow down the dangerous chemical reactions that take place and giving the cells in the brain a chance to repair the damage without overwhelming them.
Once the brain cooling procedure has been performed for 72 hours, the baby can be slowly brought back to normal body temperature over the next 6 hours. Doctor’s must be careful in determining if a baby is a candidate for the brain cooling procedure or risk additional brain damage or the death of the child. The following conditions must apply for a newborn baby to receive brain cooling:
- The brain cooling procedure must be initiated within 6 hours of birth
- The period of gestation for the baby must be greater than 36 weeks
If your baby suffered serious birth injuries including cerebral palsy, because of the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or hospital, you may have a medical malpractice claim. You should contact the best medical malpractice lawyer possible, such as Dr. Bruce Fagel right away for a free consultation at (800) 541-9376. Dr. Fagel is a leading birth injury attorney and a licensed physician with over 10 year’s emergency room experience. Dr. Fagel understands exactly how the birthing process should happen and where medical malpractice occurred during a birth injury.
Visit us on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birthinjury
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fagellaw
