Home Therapeutic hypothermia and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: opinion and practice of pediatricians in South Africa
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Therapeutic hypothermia and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: opinion and practice of pediatricians in South Africa

  • Yaseen Joolay EMAIL logo , Michael C. Harrison and Alan R. Horn
Published/Copyright: March 14, 2012

Abstract

Background: Recent newborn resuscitation guidelines recommend therapeutic hypothermia (TH) as a treatment to reduce long-term neurological deficit in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) survivors. In South Africa, varied resource constraints may present difficulties in the implementation of TH.

Objective: To determine the opinions and practice of South African pediatricians, regarding TH and the management of HIE.

Methods: We invited 288 South African pediatricians and neonatologists to participate in a web-based survey by e-mail. Practitioners were identified using the Medpages™ database.

Results: Responses were received from 37.8% of the e-mails. Seventy-six percent of respondents stated that hypothermia was either effective or very effective while 4% stated TH was ineffective in the management of HIE. Only 42% of respondents offered TH and a further 9% transferred patients to other units for cooling. Twenty-four percent had not implemented TH nor planned to introduce it into practice in the near future. Ninety-eight percent of respondents stated TH should be the standard of care in tertiary neonatal units.

Conclusion: Most pediatricians in South Africa who responded to the survey stated that TH is effective to reduce the neurological deficit in HIE, however, less than half offered it as a treatment.


Corresponding author: Yaseen Joolay Department of Neonatal Medicine H46 Old Main Building Groote Schuur Hospital Observatory 7925 Cape Town South Africa Tel.: +27214046062

Received: 2011-11-24
Revised: 2012-1-23
Accepted: 2012-1-27
Published Online: 2012-03-14
Published in Print: 2012-06-01

©2012 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  3. Review Article
  4. Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome: current knowledge and novel insights
  5. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  6. Midtrimester amniotic fluid concentrations of interleukin-6 and interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10: evidence for heterogeneity of intra-amniotic inflammation and associations with spontaneous early (<32 weeks) and late (>32 weeks) preterm delivery
  7. An evolutionary test of the isoform switching hypothesis of functional progesterone withdrawal for parturition: humans have a weaker repressive effect of PR-A than mice
  8. Fetomaternal hemorrhage in the second trimester
  9. Contribution of 3D power Doppler ultrasound to the evaluation of placental circulation in normal pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia
  10. Two vs. three or more primary recurrent pregnancy losses – are there any differences in epidemiologic characteristics and index pregnancy outcome?
  11. Oxidative stress stimulates α-tocopherol transfer protein in human trophoblast tumor cells BeWo
  12. Risk factors for preeclampsia in twin pregnancies: a population-based matched case-control study
  13. Bishop score and cervical length at 33–35 weeks of gestation and the risk of intrapartum cesarean delivery of twins
  14. Primary vs. secondary recurrent pregnancy loss – epidemiological characteristics, etiology, and next pregnancy outcome
  15. Safety and efficacy of high-dose intravenous iron carboxymaltose vs. iron sucrose for treatment of postpartum anemia
  16. Knowledge gap of recommendations in ACOG practice bulletins: A survey of members of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  17. Original Articles – Fetus
  18. Three years’ experience of using a 29-gauge atraumatic needle for amniocentesis
  19. Role of foetal MRI in the evaluation of ischaemic-haemorrhagic lesions of the foetal brain
  20. Original Articles – Newborn
  21. Acquisition of full enteral feeds may depend on stooling pattern in very premature infants
  22. An open-label, randomized efficacy and safety trial of subcutaneous and intramuscular BT088 (Fovepta) human hepatitis B immunoglobulin in neonates of HBV-carrier mothers
  23. Use of cytomegalovirus hyperimmunoglobulin for prevention of congenital cytomegalovirus disease: a retrospective analysis
  24. Therapeutic hypothermia and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: opinion and practice of pediatricians in South Africa
  25. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells in premature infants: is there an association with premature birth complications?
  26. Short Communication
  27. The impact of length of second stage of labor on shoulder dystocia outcomes: a retrospective cohort study
  28. Congress Calender
  29. Congress Calendar
Downloaded on 5.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jpm-2011-0292/html
Scroll to top button