Passive cooling during transport of asphyxiated term newborns.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of passive cooling during transport of asphyxiated newborns. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review of newborns with perinatal asphyxia transported for hypothermia between July 2007 and June 2010. RESULT: Of 43 newborns transported, 27 were passively cooled without significant adverse events. Twenty (74%) passively cooled newborns arrived with temperature between 32.5 and 34.5 °C. One newborn arrived with a temperature <32.5, and 6 (22%) had temperatures >34.5 °C. Time from birth to hypothermia was significantly shorter among passively cooled newborns compared with newborns not cooled (215 vs 327 min, P<0.01), even though time from birth to admission to Boston Children's Hospital was similar (252 vs 259 min, P=0.77). Time from birth to admission was the only significant predictor of increased time to reach target temperature (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Exclusive passive cooling achieves significantly earlier initiation of effective hypothermia for asphyxiated newborns but should not delay transport for active cooling.