Perinatal asphyxia is one of the commonest causes of neonatal death and long term disability, occurring in 20 per 1000 live births. Of these, approximately 2-3 per 1000 will go on to develop hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) (1). In Ireland and the UK HIE is the third commonest cause of neonatal mortality, accounting for 9% of all deaths, and 21% of term deaths, while globally it is estimated to cause over 1 million neonatal deaths each year. For the survivors there is significant secondary morbidity associated, including cerebral palsy (15%), severe cognitive delay (11%), seizure disorders (8%), sensori-neural deafness (7%), and visual loss (3%)(2).