Whole-Body Hypothermia for Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy(HIE)

Among term infants, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to acute perinatal asphyxia remains an important cause of brain injury in childhood. Infants with moderate encephalopathy have a 10 percent risk of death, and those who survive have a 30 percent risk of disabilities. Sixty percent of infants with severe encephalopathy die, and many, if not all, survivors are disabled. Whole-body hypothermia reduces the risk of death or disability in infants with moderate or severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.