Therapeutic Hypothermia Body Cooling of Newborns

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Birth Injury

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Why Was My Baby Cooled?

“Cooling” is a relatively new treatment that is widely used for newborns with signs of brain injury due to decreased oxygen. Newborn cooling, also called neonatal therapeutic hypothermia, or targeted temperature management, is used when there is concern for brain injury, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, caused by decreased oxygen during labor or delivery.

What is Targeted Temperature Management?

Cooling involves lowering a newborn’s body temperature to between 32.5 - 33 degrees Celsius (90.5 - 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for 72 hours, at which time the newborn is rewarmed. It is believed that cooling acts by slowing down biologic processes that can result in further brain damage, and has been proven to be the best method to reduce brain damage in newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

The process for cooling newborns typically involves whole body cooling, accomplished by using a cooling blanket that is filled with water, which can be cooled or warmed. This method achieves uniform cooling of the entire body. The other method of cooling involves selective head cooling using a head cap that circulates cool water, and will act to decrease the core temperature of the infant, with the head and brain reaching a cooler temperature than the rest of the body.

Healthcare providers will closely monitor the newborn during 72 hours of cooling. After 72 hours of cooling the infant will be rewarmed slowly over six or more hours.

About Our Birth Injury Attorneys

Birth injury medical malpractice cases require extensive knowledge of both law and medicine. Robins Kaplan LLP birth injury attorneys and medical analysts have extensive experience handling these complex cases. We have been recognized for recovering remarkable settlements for people in Minnesota who have suffered serious injuries or economic harm due to medical negligence.

If you or your child suffered a birth injury due to improper care or negligence during your pregnancy, or at the time of delivery, we can help.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation

Call 1.800.552.7115 or complete our free case evaluation form to speak to a medical analyst who understands. There is no charge for this call or evaluation.

Our attorneys handle matters primarily in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

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