The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is launching a
new program this spring designed to reduce and prevent brain
damage in newborns.
The Whole Body Cooling program is in the final stages of
development in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, says William
Liu, M.D., with Associates in Neonatology. “Using mild
hypothermia to treat adult post-cardiac arrest was found to
be effective seven to eight years ago. In the past few years, the
practice of using it to treat newborns with brain injuries has
emerged,” Dr. Liu says.During Whole Body Cooling, a Blanketrol®
blanket-like device
is placed under the newborn, and the body temperature is
slowly lowered to about 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit. After 72
hours, the body temperature is raised to around 98.6 degrees
Fahrenheit, the average temperature for humans.
Lowering the body temperature slows the brain metabolism and
helps prevent cell necrosis and apoptosis, which is the delayed
death of brain cells.
Preventing the death of brain cells is crucial to limiting brain
damage, he says. An infant with moderate brain damage has
a 10 percent mortality rate and a 30 percent chance of severe
disability, such as cerebral palsy. A newborn with severe brain
damage has a 60 percent mortality rate and a nearly 100 percent
chance of severe disability.
The Children’s Hospital’s Whole Body Cooling program is
based on standards developed by the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development.
To learn more about the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,
click here.
William F. Liu, M.D.
Associates in Neonatology
9981 S. HealthPark Drive, Suite 281
Fort Myers, FL 33908
239-343-6906
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