Transporting neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy utilizing active hypothermia

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this report was to evaluate a servo-controlled active hypothermia device used during the transport of neonates with HIE. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of all cases of therapeutic hypothermia, both passive and active, using a servo-controlled device in a single regional referral neonatal intensive care unit from 2009-2013 RESULTS: An ambulance (43%), fixed wing aircraft (25%), or helicopter (32%) transported 28 neonates with active hypothermia. The servo-controlled device captured core temperatures in all 28 neonates, resulting in 2,985 minutes of data. All neonates attained a core temperature between 33-34 °C by 33 minutes of the transport. Once the neonates attained a core temperature, the average temperature for the remainder of the transport was 33 ± 0.2 °C. The neonates maintained the core temperature regardless of the type of transport vehicle. CONCLUSION: Servo-controlled hypothermia enables rapid attainment of targeted temperatures and maintains the temperature throughout the transport process in both ground and air transport.