During gestation, the unborn infant faces a variety of threats, including umbilical and placental problems, difficult delivery, and serious illnesses with the mother. If an infant does not receive an adequate supply of oxygen to the brain, such as from asphyxiation, this can result in a condition called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy / HIE. HIE causes injuries to the baby's brain from asphyxia or hypoxia.
If the baby's brain is starved of oxygen or blood, especially over a period of hours, the infant's brain will attempt to repair the problem. Depending on the severity of the HIE, the baby's brain may or may not be able to repair itself. If the condition of the HIE is mild, the brain should be able to repair itself, however, if the condition is serious, the infant's brain attempting to repair the problem may actually cause even more damage.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy occurring at birth may cause serious brain damage to the infant by lowering the oxygen and reducing the heart's output. When the baby is resuscitated, there will be a sudden increase of blood flow and oxygen, which may end up causing even greater brain injuries to the baby, as the brain is trying to repair the problem.
During hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a procedure called brain cooling may help the infant reduce or even avoid the chances of permanent and severe brain damage, and therefore have a healthy life. Brain cooling uses a cooling cap or water filled blanket that lowers the infant's temperature to 91 degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours. By lowering the temperature of the baby, the metabolic rate slows, preventing dangerous chemical reactions from taking place that could trigger additional rounds of dangerous reactions. Once the baby is subjected to 72 hours of brain cooling, he or she will be slowly and gradually warmed up to a normal body temperature for the next 6 hours. Studies show that properly applied, brain cooling procedures have reduced death and disabilities in infant's with HIE.
An infant with HIE should only be subjected to the brain cooling procedures if the following conditions apply:
- If the infant suffered brain damage from HIE
- The gestation period for the infant is greater than 36 weeks
- Be initiated within the first 6 hours after birth
Brain hypothermia, is induced by cooling a baby to around 33 degrees Celsius for 3 days after birth and has recently been proven to be the only medical intervention that reduces brain damage and improves a baby's chances of normal survival after birth asphyxia. Brain cooling has become widely used in neonatal units throughout America.
If you believe your child suffered serious injuries due to the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or medical staff, you may have a case for medical negligence or medical malpractice. Contact a top medical malpractice lawyer like Dr. Bruce G. Fagel, immediately for a free consultation. Dr. Fagel is both a leading birth injury attorney and a licensed physician, with over 10 year's emergency room experience. So he understands exactly how the birth process should happen and where medical negligence or medical malpractice occurred in a birth injury.
