Neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia; outcomes in adolescence

Neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia; outcomes in adolescence.The project is a joint project between Akershus University Hospital, Vestfold Hospital Trust and Oslo University Hospital. All approvals and funding is secured. Participants from the cohort are included and all data from the cohort has been collected. In the last year the project has appointed a new PhD candidate.Perinatal asphyxia is a major cause of death and long-term disability in the Western World. Severely asphyxiated neonates suffer from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome during the first days of life. Contemporary treatment since 2007-2010 involves therapeutic hypothermia in cases with moderate or severe cerebral involvement; hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Adolescence (defined by WHO as age 10–19 years) is a period where individuals face several new challenges and where optimal development of functions are important for psychosocial interaction. Consequences in adolescence of neonatal HIE treated with therapeutic hypothermia are unknown. There are few studies of children beyond seven years of age after introduction of therapeutic hypothermia. Studies prior to introduction of therapeutic hypothermia show moderate associations between outcomes in the neonatal period and early childhood compared to adolescence, and that even children with no or sparse signs of injury in the neonatal period and early childhood may experience poor outcomes in adolescence. Prognostic markers of outcomes in adolescence are hence lacking in infants receiving contemporary treatment for HIE. The present project is a prospective controlled follow-up study of 47 neonates receiving therapeutic hypothermia at Oslo University Hospital (OUH) in 2010–11. The former study followed the cohort until two years of age. We will now assess outcomes at 11–12 years in these children. As part of the project, we will assess whether outcomes in the neonatal period and at two years can serve as markers of long-term outcomes. Such markers may at an early stage provide accurate prognostic information and facilitate better and more customized care. Moreover, they may represent amendable factors with impact on survival and long-term outcomes. In the last year the project has appointed a new PhD candidate at a half-time engagement. She started the formal PhD education program in September 2023. All data from the cohort was collected in the previous year and we plan to collect data from the control group in the coming year. Data analysis and manuscript preparation will follow.