Changing clinical characteristics of infants treated for hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in England, Wales and Scotland: a population-based study using the National Neonatal Research Database

Abstract

Treatment with therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy has increased in England, Scotland and Wales. An increasing proportion of treated infants have a diagnosis of mild hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy or have less severe clinical markers of hypoxia. This highlights the importance of determining the role of hypothermia in mild hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. Receipt of therapeutic hypothermia is unlikely to be a useful marker for assessing changes in the incidence of brain injury over time.