The neo.nEURO.network Hypothermia Randomized Controlled Trial
In this issue of Pediatrics Simbruner et al1 report results of the neo.nEURO.network study of hypothermia for infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) They enrolled infants of =36 weeks' gestational age with clinical and electrophysiological evidence of HIE and randomly assigned them to targeted temperature reduction (33.5degC rectal temperature [range: 33degC 34degC] or a control group (37degC rectal temperature [range: 36.5degC 37.5degC] The study design shared features with previously published trials of this intervention; entry criteria were those of the CoolCap trial,2 target temperature was identical to that of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)3 and Total Body Hypothermia (TOBY)4 trials, and a manually controlled cooling blanket (Tecotherm TS 200 [Tec Com, Munich, Germany] was used as it was in the TOBY trial. All the trials, including the neo.nEURO.network trial, maintained targeted temperature for 72 hours followed by rewarming at a rate of =0.5degC/hour. The neo.nEURO.network used morphine in both study arms; the TOBY trial used sedation for distressed infants, but the percentage of infants so treated was not reported.4 The primary outcome of death or Address correspondence to Abbot R. Laptook, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Women Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, 101 Dudley St, Suite 1100, Providence, RI 02905. E mail: alaptook{at}wihri.org
Pediatrics