Therapeutic Hypothermia in Brazil: A MultiProfessional National Survey

To determine the rate of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) use, current practices, and long-term follow-up.

Prospective cross-sectional national survey with 19 questions related to the assessment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and TH practices. An online questionnaire was made available to health care professionals working in neonatal care in Brazil.

A total of 1,092 professionals replied, of which 681 (62%) reported using TH in their units. Of these, 624 (92%) provided TH practices details: 136 (20%) did not use any neurologic score or amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) to assess encephalopathy and 81(13%) did not answer this question. Any specific training for encephalopathy assessment was provided to only 81/407 (19%) professionals. Infants with mild HIE are cooled according to 184 (29%) of the respondents. Significant variations in practice were noticed concerning time of initiation and cooling methods, site of temperature measurements and monitoring, and access to aEEG, electroencephalogram (EEG), and neurology consultation. Only 19% could perform a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 31% reported having a well-established follow-up program for these infants.

TH has been implemented in Brazil but with significant heterogeneity for most aspects of hypothermia practices, which may affect safety or efficacy of the therapy. A step forward toward quality improvement is important.