Subcutaneous fat necrosis: a complication of neuroprotective cooling.

Because neuroprotective cooling for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE ) becomes more commonplace in NICU s, health care providers should be familiar with the complications of this therapy. Therapeutic cooling improves neurodevelopmental outcomes and has relatively few side effects. One unexpected outcome that has been reported is subcutaneous fat necrosis (SCFN). This column describes the problem, and recommends that NICU staff be vigilant in their observation for, as well as timely in their interventions to help prevent SCFN.