Why hypothermia in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy?

The incidence of asphyxiated full-term infants is still high in both high income and developing countries. In up to 80 percent of infants, moderate to severe birth asphyxia results in long-term neurological sequelae. Many years of experimental work and a limited data on hypoxic-ischemic neonates have supported the hypothesis that hypothermia after the primary insult induces permanent neuroprotection. In this mini overview, we attempt to update pediatricians in this aspect and raise the following: Will the future treatment include hypothermia along with the conventional and or other promising drugs affecting different aspects of the hypoxia-ischemia?