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Metas de Enfermería

Metas de Enfermería

JUNIO 2015 N° 5 Volumen 18

Newborn patient care with induced hypothermia

Section: Hands on

How to quote

Fernández Tuñas MC, Prego Boente R, Couce Pico ML, Pérez Muñuzuri A. Cuidados al paciente neonato con hipotermia inducida. Metas Enferm jun 2015; 18(5): 56-59.

Authors

1Mª del Carmen Fernández Tuñas, 1Raquel Prego Boente, 2Mª Luz Couce Pico, 2Alejandro Pérez Muñuzuri

Position

1Enfermera. Servicio de Neonatología. Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de   Santiago de Compostela.2Licenciada/o en Medicina. Servicio de Neonatología. Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela.

Contact address

Mª del Carmen Fernández Tuñas. Viceso-Pousada, 25. 15839 Brión (La Coruña).

Contact email: mctunas@yahoo.es

Abstract

Active neonatal hypothermia represents a therapeutic advance for Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) cases in newborns, and it involves reducing the body temperature in 3-4ºC during the first 6 hours of life, and sustaining this during 72 hours, after which a progressive warming will take place (0.5 ºC/hour).
This therapy improves the morbimortality in these patients, by encouraging neuroprotection, because it reduces the brain metabolism, the apoptosis, and the formation of oxygen-free radicals. This treatment with cold can cause severe complications such as coagulation alterations, arrhythmias, hypotension, and hyperglycemias, among others.
This article describes the action taken for a patient with HIE, as well as Nursing care for patients subject to induced hypothermia, and specifically the monitoring and control to be conducted in order to avoid any of the potential complications linked with this treatment.

Keywords:

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy; neurology; induced hypothermia; newborn; Nursing care; potential complicationsprotocol

Versión en Español

Título:

Cuidados al paciente neonato con hipotermia inducida