New FDA-Approved Device Could Save Infants

'Cool Cap' Helps Prevent Damage In Newborns Due To Oxygen Deprivation

(CBS)  A new device known as the "cool cap" can limit brain damage for babies deprived of oxygen at birth by being wrapped around the baby's head and cooling the brain. It was just approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Early Show medical contributor Dr. Emily Senay said Thursday that as many as 9,000 babies' brains are deprived of oxygen in the final moments before delivery each year. This can happen if the placenta tears away from the uterus as the baby leaves the birth canal or if the umbilical cord gets tangled or compressed. Either way, the oxygen that the baby breathes before it emerges is cut off, Senay said.

"It doesn't take long for brain cells deprived of oxygen to begin to die," she said. "If that process cannot be held to a minimum, the damage to the brain can be permanent ... leading to lifelong problems like blindness, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. About 20 percent of babies who suffer this damage don't survive."

Senay said the cool-cap contains tubing that circulates cool water around the skull when placed on the newborn's head. The treatment should be started within six hours of the birth so it can lower the brain and body temperature for up to 72 hours. That will slow the metabolism and reduce the chance that swelling or inflammation will further damage the brain.

"Because the brain and the infant's entire body are so fragile and vulnerable, the cooling needs to occur gently, with great care taken that the baby's body temperature doesn't drop below about 94 degrees Fahrenheit … going any lower can be life threatening," she said. "So this new device doesn't just circulate cooled water. It also includes electrodes to precisely monitor the temperature of the water and of the baby, and a single channel electroencephalogram to keep a close eye on brain activity during the procedure."

Senay said a study published in the medical journal The Lancet found the cool-cap to be a safe and effective treatment in more than 200 babies who suffered moderate to severe oxygen deprivation. The study showed that 18 months after babies who were treated with the cool-cap were born, the rate of death and disability was 40 percent lower than those who did not receive the treatment.

"So once these devices find their way to hospitals set up to deal with prematurity and other major birth complications, more babies who've gone through the trauma of oxygen deprivation may have a better chance than ever to survive in good health," Senay said.

[tomcat556]

I was so happy to hear the information presentd by Dr. Senay this morning. I had a daughter 12 weeks early 21 years ago in 1985. She had a Ventricular bleed in her brain and the result was Cerebal palsy and a shunt. She died 14 months later in 1986. I was thrilled and shed tears this morning knowing that some parents might be spared what we went through with my daughter. I am so pleaed to see the medical community is deligently researching ways to save premature babies.
Thank-you for the story,
Catherine Ross
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