ABSTRACT
Background: Perinatal asphyxia is a public health problem and the third major cause of death among children under 5 years. Objective: Two clinical cases of newborns with perinatal asphyxia submitted to therapeutic hypothermia and the follow-up of their motor development after hospital discharge have been reported. Methods: This retrospective case report study included two newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to perinatal asphyxia who received a hypothermia protocol at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The two newborns and their families were followed up at the outpatient clinic and assessed using the Hammersmith Child Neurological Examination, Alberta Child Motor Scale, and Denver Developmental Screening Test-II. Results: The newborns were submitted to a 72-hour hypothermia protocol. One newborn remained for 13 days in the NICU, while the other remained for 22 days. According to the multidisciplinary team, both cases presented with typical motor development with no cerebral palsy during the follow-up. Conclusion: Both cases showed positive results and a good prognostic for motor development. Therapeutic hypothermia may be a strategy to prevent neurologic sequelae in newborns with perinatal asphyxia, including cerebral palsy.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns about risks for pregnant women and fetuses, considering factors such as vertical transmission and neonatal alterations caused by maternal infection. Despite this, neuropsychomotor and functional complications in infants delivered by mothers with COVID-19 are still little studied. Thus, we aimed to describe the health history and development based on ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) components of a high-risk preterm infant born to a mother hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications. This case report was based on medical records, developmental assessments, and maternal reports. The infant was born at 30 weeks and 3 days, weighing 1,300 g, measuring 40 cm, and with Apgar scores of 2, 5, 6, and 7. COVID-19 test was negative 1 and 72 h after birth. Moreover, the infant had cardiorespiratory complications and hyperechogenicity of the periventricular white matter. The infant presented speech and language delays during follow-up, but neuromotor development occurred according to age. The health care and follow-up provided helped the development of resilience mechanisms by the infant and family to overcome adversities in the prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal periods. The assessments based on ICF components can contribute to future studies on this topic.