Brain damage treatment may cause harm to babies in low- and middle-income nations

A cooling therapy widely used to treat birth-related brain damage in newborn babies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may increase the risk of death.  The research, published in the journal The Lancet Global Health, led by Imperial College London (UK) together with several large hospitals in across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, examined the therapeutic hypothermia technique for reducing death and disability in newborn babies.  This technique cools a baby’s body temperature to a target range of 33–34°C, by utilizing a cooling mat. Evidence from multiple trials in high-income countries (HICs) demonstrated the treatment reduces death and disability in babies. However, whilst therapeutic hypothermia is used extensively in LMICs, there have been few trials analyzing the effectiveness of the treatment in LMICs.  All babies in the new study were suspected to have suffered brain damage during birth and suffer...