A study of British researchers has been carried out in more than thirty hospitals that concludes that Babies who suffer from insufficient oxygen at birth have a lower risk of brain damage if they are cooled. By placing a blanket with cold fluids inside it under the sheet, the scientists reduced the temperature of the babies to lower their metabolism.
The research involved more than 300 babies, who were placed on a cold blanket after insufficient oxygen. It is not yet clear what is the specific mechanism that causes damage to be reduced, but everything points to reducing the shock posttraumatic and gives the brain more time to achieve a full recovery.
That is, by cooling babies, what is achieved is that the reaction to trauma suffered by the body when the blood flow of the brain resumes is not so abrupt, and allow more time for the brain to recover before starting that reaction that leads to damage.
To the babies the temperature was lowered from 37º to 34º during the three days after delivery. The percentage of babies who suffered asphyxiation at birth and survived without brain damage rose from 28% to 44% when subjected to such body cooling. It does not work in all cases, but without a doubt that increased chance of not being damaged is worth it.
The authors of the study, which has been based on 20 years of research, were directed by Dr. Denis Azzopardi of Imperial College. Now the British Government will evaluate through the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence the effectiveness of the method, to see if it has to be introduced in the neonatology units in all hospitals in the country. Yes really cold reduces brain damage due to lack of oxygen at birth, this practice should also be done in the rest of the world whenever necessary.
Via | BBC World Photo | Flickr (Sprungli) More information | News Channel In Babies and more | If the baby does not breathe at birth it will be less intelligent, oxygen for the baby, advances to detect lesions in the brain of the fetus
