Therapeutic hypothermia increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmia for perinatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy: A meta-analysis

<div><p>Objective</p><p>To determine whether therapeutic hypothermia after hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmia during intervention.</p><p>Design</p><p>A meta-analysis was conducted using a fixed-effect model. Risk ratios, risk differences, and 95% confidence intervals, were measured.</p><p>Data sources</p><p>Studies identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, previous reviews, and abstracts from onset to August, 2016.</p><p>Review methods</p><p>Reports that compared therapeutic hypothermia with normal care for neonates with HIE and that included data on safety or cardiac arrhythmia, which is of interest to patients and clinicians, were selected.</p><p>Results</p><p>We found seven trials, encompassing 1322 infants that included information on safety or cardiac arrhythmia during intervention. Therapeutic hypothermia considerably increased the combined rate of cardiac arrhythmia in the seven trials (risk ratio 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 4.76. p = 0.01; risk difference 0.02, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.04) during intervention.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>In infants with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, therapeutic hypothermia is associated with a consistent increase in cardiac arrhythmia during intervention.</p></div

Funnel plot of included randomized controlled trials.

<p>Funnel plot of included randomized controlled trials.</p

Baseline characteristics of the included trials on therapeutic hypothermia vs. standard care for perinatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.

<p>Baseline characteristics of the included trials on therapeutic hypothermia vs. standard care for perinatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.</p

Risk bias of summary (A) and graph (B) according to review authors’ judgement.

<p>Risk bias of summary (A) and graph (B) according to review authors’ judgement.</p

Baseline characteristics of the included trials on therapeutic hypothermia vs. standard care for perinatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.

<p>Baseline characteristics of the included trials on therapeutic hypothermia vs. standard care for perinatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.</p