Keeping cool in a crisis a lifesaver for babes in peril
An international study of 221 babies, published yesterday in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found the risk of death or major disability was reduced by 15 per cent in babies who had the treatment, compared to those who did not.
Using refrigerated gel pa
cks to cool newborn babies at risk of brain damage from a lack of oxygen at birth improves their survival without permanent injury, new research shows.
Lead researcher Dr Susan Jacobs, of the Royal Women's Hospital, said all of the babies included in the study needed breathing support and two-thirds had chest compressions to keep their hearts beating.
The babies were randomly assigned to either receive the treatment within six hours of birth, or to a control group.
''These are desperately sick babies who need intensive care from birth,'' she said.
Luke McCarthy, 9, was one of the first patients in the world to benefit from the treatment after complications with the umbilical cord during his birth cut off his oxygen supply.
His mother, Perri, said her first-born son was ''born flat, totally floppy, and they resuscitated him in the nursery at Cabrini [hospital] and put him on a ventilator''.
Mrs McCarthy said she agreed to include Luke in the trial because ''the prognosis otherwise was pretty bleak'', and it was fortunate that he was randomised to receive the cooling treatment.
''They transported him to Royal Women's neonatal intensive-care unit and that's where he spent the next few days. They had him lying on ice packs; he had one across his forehead and one across his chest.''
Mrs McCarthy said Luke was thriving with no permanent injuries from his difficult birth. He even won an award this week for most improved player in his football team.
''We're very grateful that we were given the opportunity to go in this trial,'' she said.
''It's the difference between what could've happened and what has happened. I'm really pleased it'll be offered now to other kids.''
Dr Jacobs said the simple treatment did not require complex equipment and could be applied to babies while they were being transported to specialist hospitals.
But she said it needed to be applied by experts in controlled conditions where a baby's temperature was constantly monitored to avoid dangers of overcooling.
The cooling treatment is thought to protect the brain by slowing metabolism and allowing it to tolerate low oxygen.
by Kate Hagan.
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