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Postnatal Laboratory Timers of Antenatal Hypoxemic–Ischemic Brain Damage

Journal of Perinatology volume 25, pages 664–668 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Markers were sought to identify the antenatal starting times and rates at which brain damage advanced in children with hypoxemic–ischemic cerebral palsy.

STUDY DESIGN:

Fetal bradycardia's onset marked the damage's start. Using this baseline, the following were tested as additional timers of the damage's onset:

  1. a)

    serial blood counts of neonates’ normoblasts, platelets, lymphocytes,

  2. b)

    differences at birth between base excess values in umbilical arterial and venous bloods,

  3. c)

    brain damage patterns.

RESULTS:

Each timer had a broad antenatal time frame within which it could identify specific damage starting times. The broad time frames are as follows:

  1. a)

    Blood lymphocyte counts: 0.45 to 13.8 hours before birth, blood normoblast counts: 0.45 to 55.0 hours before birth, blood platelet counts: 0.5 to >72 hours before birth.

  2. b)

    Brain damage patterns: 0.4 to >0.7 hour before birth.

Hyperventilating and hyperoxygenating neonates greatly accelerated the damage's advance.

CONCLUSIONS:

Commonly obtained laboratory values and brain images can identify when such brain damage began and the rate at which it advanced.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology (R.L.N.), Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Richard L Naeye MD

  2. Department of Health Evaluation Sciences (M.L.S.), Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Michele L Shaffer PhD

Authors
  1. Richard L Naeye MD
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  2. Michele L Shaffer PhD
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Additional information

Partially supported by the Gregory Alan Larach SIDS Research Fund.

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Naeye, R., Shaffer, M. Postnatal Laboratory Timers of Antenatal Hypoxemic–Ischemic Brain Damage. J Perinatol 25, 664–668 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7211367

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