Medical correspondent, BBC News
Babies who are starved of oxygen at birth have a much lower risk of brain damage if they are given mild hypothermia, major research suggests.
More than 300 babies were involved in a trial carried out at 33 hospitals in the UK and in five other countries.
Researchers found full-term babies who suffered oxygen loss at birth were 57% more likely to survive without brain damage if their bodies were cooled.
The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The babies' body temperature was brought down by about 4C using a fluid-filled mat under their sheet.
Doctors are not exactly sure why it helps, but think that slowing their metabolism reduces the after-shocks of the birth trauma, giving the brain time to recover.
Starved of oxygen
Dr Denis Azzopardi, from Imperial College London and who led the trial, said: "The study builds on a 20-year body of research but gives, for the first time, irrefutable proof that cooling can be effective in reducing brain damage after birth asphyxia.
"Although unfortunately it doesn't work in every case, our study showed the proportion of babies that survived without signs of brain damage went from 28% to 44% with cooling treatments - that's a 57% increase."Read more...
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