What treatment is commonly used for managing hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy?

Therapeutic hypothermia is the recommended treatment for managing hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborns. This intervention involves cooling the infant's body temperature to a range between 33.5 and 34.5 degrees Celsius for a period of 72 hours. The cooling process helps to reduce the metabolic demand of brain cells, which might be compromised due to the lack of oxygen and blood flow. By minimizing the inflammatory response and apoptosis (cell death) that can follow hypoxic injury, therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to improve long-term outcomes in infants affected by HIE.

This treatment is particularly pertinent because it directly targets the underlying damage caused by hypoxia, making it a vital intervention in the NICU setting for affected newborns. Other treatment options, while important in their own right, do not specifically address the pathophysiology of HIE in the same targeted manner as therapeutic hypothermia does.