PAEAN – Erythropoietin for hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy in newborns

A lack of oxygen (hypoxia) or low blood supply (ischaemia) before or during birth can destroy cells in a newborn baby's brain. The damage caused by the lack of oxygen continues for some time afterwards. One way to try to reduce this damage is to induce hypothermia cooling the baby or just the baby's head for hours to days. Erythropoietin (Epo) given in the first week after birth shows promise as a treatment that may also help. This study is to find out
whether Epo plus induced hypothermia (cooling) of near term newborn babies who have suffered from low blood or oxygen supply to the brain at birth reduces death and disability in survivors at two years of age.

The target population is 300 newborn term or near term infants(greater than or equal to 35+0 weeks gestation) with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy who are receiving, or planned to receive hypothermia and who are able to be recruited in time to allow study treatment to commence before 24 hours of age.

Status: Recruitment complete

Sites: Auckland, Christchurch, Middlemore, Waikato,Wellington

ANZCTR number: ACTRN12614000669695

Contact: paean@ctc.usyd.edu.au