Abstract: Despite significant advances in the management of neonatal encephalopathy secondary to birth asphyxia, mortality remains high among this population. Approaches for end-of-life decision making typically are based on the foreseen long-term prognosis and quality of life inferred from the clinical examination coupled with the results of ancillary tests.2 These decisions are influenced by the culture of the local neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and by the values and beliefs of the health care providers and parental caregivers.3-7 These cultures, values, and beliefs highly vary across institutions, and decisions usually are made after discussions between parents and the neonatology team, often supported by other health care providers.8-10 We conducted this study to understand the circumstances around death in a tertiary-level NICU center in asphyxiated newborn infants treated with hypothermia.
Al Amrani Fatema, Racine Eric, Shevell Michael, Wintermark Pia. Death after birth asphyxia in the cooling era. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2020,226:289-293; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.07.041.
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