1. GDJE SMO DANAS S NEUROPROTEKCIJOM ZA HIPOKSIČNO-ISHEMIČNU ENCEFALOPATIJU U ASFIKTIČNE NOVOROĐENČADI?
- Author
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LONČAREVIĆ, DAMIR, SINDIČIĆ-DESSARDO, NADA, ČOLIĆ, ANA, JURETIĆ, EMILJA, and FILIPOVIĆ-GRČIĆ, BORIS
- Abstract
Preventing hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and related brain damage remains a monumental problem. There is no way to predict which infant will be affected and in that particular case introduce prenatal pharmacological intervention. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the only widely accepted neuroprotective method so far, but is incompletely effective. Countless treated infants still die or survive with severe disability. Clinical studies conducted left many ethical dilemmas. For instance, would implementation of TH in developing countries with major burden of HIE and limited resources be safe and equally effective? How to identify newborns at risk that would have benefit from this treatment more precisely, and exclude those that would end up with normal neurological outcome without intervention? When and in which infant to withdraw further intensive care? Studies underway are trying to elucidate whom, for how long and using what method to cool. HIE is a multifactorial process and only by delineating precise biochemical pathways leading to neuronal damage would ensure timely mannered intervention with additive neuroprotection. Such a scenario is less likely and explains why current studies on combined neuroprotection are advancing slowly. Every country which faces TH as a novel therapeutic strategy should develop national cooling network, including transport teams and a register of cooled infants. This is the optimal way to compare effects of changes made to entry criteria or treatment protocol, weather by chance or intentionally. There are few promising neuroprotective agents besides TH. Introducing them into clinical practice should be done with extreme caution and mandatory structured, uniformed follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018