Lack of oxygen during delivery can lead to brain damage in babies. To minimize this, University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht is using a new kind of “refrigeration technology.” Cooling a baby to between 33 and 34°C during the first three days of life lowers the risk of death or severe disability.
The Department of Neonatology at Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, part of UMC Utrecht, is the first in the Netherlands to use this form of treatment. A special “cooling suit” is used to keep the newborns at a temperature of 33.5°C for three full days, after which the temperature is gradually raised. The cooling treatment has to be started within six hours of birth. The normal temperature for a baby is 37°C.
The baby who recently underwent this new procedure is doing well. It will only be possible to measure the end results of the treatment in two years time, when both motor and mental development can be tested.
Together with an international expert, UMC Utrecht’s experiences will be discussed today along with neonatologists and nurses from the other neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the Netherlands. The discussion will take place at UMC Utrecht.
A small number of hospitals in the United States, England, and New Zealand have been using this treatment for some time, since the results from the first studies were shown to be favorable.