Baseline characteristics and neonatal course of the cooled and non-cooled babies
| No cooling (n=15) | 72 hours of cooling (n=32) | |
| Antenatal history | ||
| Maternal diabetes | 2 (13) | 0 |
| Maternal hypertension | 1 (6) | 3 |
| Thyroid disease | 0 | 0 |
| Reduced fetal movements | 2 (13) | 2 (6) |
| CTG bradycardia | 2 (13) | 10 (31) |
| Late decelerations | 1 (6) | 2 (6) |
| Variable decelerations | 1 (6) | 1 (3) |
| Prolonged rupture of membranes* | 2 (13) | 6 (18) |
| Birth and resuscitation | ||
| Gestational age at birth (weeks) | 39.0 (2.0) | 40 (1.2) |
| Birth weight (kg) | 3.2 (0.4) | 3.6 (0.4) |
| Cord pH | 7.1 [0.5] | 6.9 [0.2] |
| Cord BE | −9.2 [6.8] | −14.0 [6.7] |
| Temperature admission | 36.0 (0.6) | 36.0 (0.8) |
| Apgar score (1 min) | 4 [4] | 2 [3] |
| Apgar score (5 min) | 6 [2] | 5 [2] |
| Apgar score (10 min) | 8 [2]† | 6 [3]† |
| Neonatal course | ||
| Abnormal aEEG | 1 (6) | 8 (25) |
| Invasive ventilation | 7 (46) | 22 (68) |
| Non-invasive ventilation | 1 (6) | 3 (9) |
| Hypotension requiring inotropes | 2 (13) | 5 (15) |
| Abnormal clotting | 1 (6) | 6 (19) |
| Decreased urine output | 0 | 3 (9) |
| Maximum creatinine levels during the first 72 hours of age | 80 (22) | 78 (17) |
| Maximum CRP levels during the first 72 hours of age | 22 (44) | 23 (23) |
| Blood culture positivity | 0 | 1 (3) |
| Seizures after 6 hours of age | 4 (27) | 0 |
| Postnatal age at MRI (days) | 6.5 [3.0] | 7.0 [4.0] |
| Hospital stay (days) | 5.5 [6.2]† | 8.0 [2.0]† |
Data are mean (SD), n (%), median [IQR].
*Suspected or confirmed rupture of membranes for more than 24 hours.
†P<0.5 (Mann-Whitney U test).
aEEG, amplitude integrated electroencephalography; CRP, C-reactive protein; CTG, cardiotocography; BE, Base Excess; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging