| COOL CAP - A REVOLUTIONARY, HIGH TECH DEVICE USED TO DECREASE BRAIN DAMAGE IN BABIES |
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Medical technology has made tremendous strides in treating newborns with a range of conditions, and often life-threatening afflictions.
One of the most important recent advances is Cool Cap, a revolutionary device approved by the FDA in late 2006, and now being utilized by the physicians of Children's and Women's Physicians of Westchester.
According to Lance A. Parton, MD, FAAP, a neonatology specialist at CWPW, newborns suffering from conditions resulting in a lack of oxygen to the brain are ideal candidates for the administration of Cool Cap.
“The babies selected are those suffering a severe perinatal condition,” Dr. Parton explains. “Either the placenta has ruptured before its time, or the umbilical cord became separated from the placenta prior to birth."
In either case, Cool Cap technology has made great strides in quelling damage to the brain and allowing babies to progress normally."
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Cool Cap technology is described as highly advanced yet remarkably simple. “It is this simplicity that really makes it so amazing,” Dr. Parton explains.
In essence, the Cool Cap is exactly as its name implies: It is a ‘cap' placed on the head of an at-risk newborn that dramatically lowers the temperature of the brain. “Cooling is important because brain signals continue to fire even when the oxygen supply to the brain is low,” Dr. Parton says. |
The cap, connected to a brain-wave monitor and to a refrigeration device, allows water to circulate, literally lowering the temperature of an infant's brain. The scalp is cooled to 10° to 11° Centigrade, or about 50° Fahrenheit.
“It took some time for people to decide what the optimal cooling temperature should be,” Dr. Parton explains. Whereby adults are often wrapped in a cooling blanket to promote blood flow and force oxygen to the brain, the Cool Cap system is ideal for newborns at risk.
Cooling the brain actually quells the death of brain cells. “Many newborns who suffer hypoxia also have renal and cardiac problems,” Dr. Parton notes. Cool Cap makes the brain colder, and slows oxygen consumption by the brain. |
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A Cool Cap on a Newborn
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The key to maximizing the effectiveness of Cool Cap technology, Dr. Parton says, is timely application. “We want to get newborns on the system as soon as possible,” he says, ideally within four hours of birth. Failure to treat an infant, born with hypoxia, can result in major neurodevelopmental problems, Dr. Parton states. “This is a very high-risk group.”
Babies typically remain connected to the Cool Cap for 72 hours. “We can usually stabilize the baby in that time,” Dr. Parton says. A gradual re-warming ensues, while the infant remains connected to an EEG, that monitors brain activity.
Cool Cap technology, while simple in theory, is a huge leap forward in treating newborns with an otherwise debilitating and possibly life-ending condition. “We've seen some impressive babies, who improve dramatically with the Cool Cap,” Dr. Parton says. “This would not have happened years ago.” |
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