Researchers Look To Lower Serious Risks To Newborns

DETROIT (WWJ)- A local study appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine supports the use of whole-body

hypothermia in full-term, oxygen-deprived newborns.

Dr. Seetha Shankaran, Division Dir. Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine at the Detroit Medical Center's Children's' and Hutzel Hospitals has tracked the progress of children whose body temperatures were lowered at birth to around 92.4 degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours.

This was in the hope of limiting the risk of brain damage, cerebral palsy and death, Shankaran told WWJ Newsradio 950's Pat Sweeting.

When studying the children's progress at ages 6 and 7, "The mortality was lower. Also, there were fewer children who had an IQ score of less than 70 which shows delays in mental development."

Further research is already underway.