First baby recruited to global brain injury study

A baby has become the first to be recruited to a global study of brain injury in newborns.

The research at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent aims to improve outcomes for infants with brain injuries at birth, says Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW).

The study, COMET (Cooling in Mild Encephalopathy Trial), examines if cooling therapy can reduce brain injury in babies who have experienced hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Eliza, born in October last year, was the first baby to be selected for the research.

Her parents, Casey and Ryan, were told she may have mild HIE after staff noticed rapid breathing and a delay in her reflexes.

Mild HIE is a type of brain injury that occurs when a baby experiences lack of oxygen at birth and it affects about one in every 1,000 newborns, the trust says.

They add recent research shows many affected infants face "lasting cognitive and neurological challenges" and about 20% may develop lifelong disability.

Eliza was transferred to the the neonatal intensive care unit at Medway Maritime Hospital to continue her cooling treatment.

Her parents said after weighing the possible benefits and risks, they decided it was "worth trying" to participate in the study.

Casey said Eliza was "doing well" and achieving all her "developmental milestones".

Dr Kudzai Mugweni, consultant paediatrician at MTW, said: "For too long, a mild HIE diagnosis was seen as low risk, often resulting in a wait and see approach."

COMET is run by Imperial College London and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The study involves using a special cooling blanket or mattress which can reduce brain injury, assessing how well it can help to prevent later disability, the trust says.

This carefully lowers a baby's temperature from the normal temperature of 37ºC to a temperature of 33.5ºC for the first three days after birth.

Prof Sudhin Thayyil, the lead researcher at Imperial College London, said: "It's vital every hospital in the NHS to take part in these studies so all babies have the best possible start and parents can make informed choices."

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