Induced Hypothermia for Treatment of Perinatal Asphyxia

This report evaluates the efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia for the treatment of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) subsequent to perinatal asphyxia. The use of therapeutic hypothermia to treat other disorders such as stroke, traumatic head injury, and cardiac arrest is outside the scope of this report.

Therapeutic hypothermia is reducing the infant’s body temperature to below 37° C in an effort to reduce brain damage from perinatal asphyxia. Therapeutic hypothermia takes two forms: whole body cooling and selective head cooling using a special cooling cap. Temperature reduction causes the body to stop or slow the release of excitatory amino acid which, in turn, slows cell death. It is believed that to be most effective, therapeutic hypothermia should be initiated less than 6 hours after the hypoxic event.

Therapeutic hypothermia is delivered in a neonatal intensive care unit of Level III and Level IV hospitals.

The CoolCap System, Olympic Medical Corp A Natus Medical Co, had an average quoted price of $36, 850 and an average list price of $46,575 in 2009. It is frequently purchased in conjunction with the CFM 6000, an EEG infant monitor, which brings the total quoted and list price to $62,158 and $74,276, respectively. Accessories like cooling cap sets or...