Hypothermia Program
The NYU Regional Perinatal Center (RPC) of NYU Langone Medical Center's Tisch and Bellevue Hospital Centers is a member of the New York City Hypothermia Treatment Centers.
The program is currently available for Selective Head Cooling Therapy of Term or Near-Term newborns with birth-related (acute) Neonatal Encephalopathy.
The Hypothermia Program is a full multidisciplinary service with neonatal transport, inpatient and out patient follow-up services.
The Key to Hypothermia treatment is assessment and rapid implementation. All infants eligible for Cooling must begin this therapy within 6 hours.
Infants with the following Criteria are eligible for this life saving therapy:
Inclusion criteria for this therapy are infant > 36 weeks gestation with ONE:
- Apgar score of <5 at 10 minutes after birth
- Continued need for resuscitation, including endotracheal or mask ventilation, at 10 minutes after birth
- Acidosis defined as either umbilical cord pH or any arterial pH within 60 minutes of birth <7.00
- Base Deficit ≥ 16 mmol/L in umbilical cord blood sample or any blood sample within 60 minutes of birth (arterial or venous blood)
In Addition
- Moderate to severe encephalopathy consisting of:
- hypotonia, abnormal reflexes including oculomotor or pupillary abnormalities, absent or weak suck, clinical seizures
If the infant meets these 2 criteria then aEEG will be performed at the Cooling Center, assessing for:
- Abnormal background aEEG activity
- Seizures.
If the aEEG is abnormal and the infant is < 6.0 hours of age, the infant will be eligible for hypothermia therapy.
Exclusion Criteria
- Major congenital abnormalities, such as diaphragmatic hernia requiring ventilation, or congenital abnormalities suggestive of chromosomal anomaly (trisomy 13, 18) or other syndromes that include brain dysgenesis.
- Evidence of neurologically significant head trauma or skull fracture causing major intracranial hemorrhage.
- Subgaleal bleeding is a relative contraindication; the infant should be fully stabilized before cooling is initiated.
- Infants < 1,800 g birth weight or head circumference < 5% for gestation.
Questions?
Our emergency transport line is 1-877-ICE-NICU (1-877-423-6428), while any questions regarding this therapy should be addressed to Dr. Wachtel at 212-263-8019.
Learn More
Download a brochure outlining the procedure for families whose child may benefit from this therapy.
