Blankets have become our daily necessity following the change of weather. A wide range variety is put into the market to made consumers have better choices. It is a special topic in the selection of blankets and we need to have more knowledge in this area.
A new treatment at Middlemore Hospital can greatly reduce brain damage in newborns. Until recently brain swelling caused by complications at birth meant little could be done to limit brain damage. But hypothermia blankets have been used successfully to improve the tiny patients quality of life.
Babies are wrapped in blankets with temperature-controlled water running through them to cool the body and reduce brain swelling. The temperature is then maintained at 33 degrees for 72 hours. That is followed by a 12-hour warming process where the water temperature is raised by 0.1 degrees every 20 minutes.
Ideally, treatment must start within the first six hours after birth but it can be used within 12. Babies need to be no more than three weeks premature and weigh at least 2kg.The babies' condition is monitored while they are cooled and they are sedated throughout the process.
An 18-month follow-up of newborns treated with the blankets in an Australian trial produced positive results.
