Neonatal encephalopathy Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a condition that occurs when the brain is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply, and is most commonly observed in newborn babies due to
birth asphyxia. It is the leading cause of
cerebral palsy, an irreversible neonatal brain injury that can result in long-term cognitive, motor, and visual impairments. About 10,000 babies are born each year with cerebral palsy. In such cases, by slowing down cell metabolism and body functions, a hypothermic cap can be used to lessen a baby's need for oxygen. Research throughout the late 1990s and 2000s demonstrated that for every degree a baby's body temperature is lowered, its body functions and demand for energy slow down by 10 to 15 percent. Therefore, slowing metabolic demands through
hypothermia therapy can rectify a mismatch between oxygen supply and cell need, lowering the risk for cerebral palsy. Among babies who meet the criteria for hypothermia therapy—full-term with no known pre-existing conditions, having neonatal distress, and an abnormal neurological exam Induced pediatric hypothermia was approved in the U.S. by the
FDA in March 2007. The most prominent such hypothermia cap which utilizes a cooling unit, a control unit and temperature probes to maintain a steady flow of cool water through a cap covering the head.
Cardiac arrest A 2008 trial demonstrated that the pre-hospital induction of
therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest as soon as possible after
return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) can achieve optimal neuroprotective benefit. The hypothermia cap was applied to 20 patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with a median of 10 min after ROSC. The median time between initiation of cooling and hospital admission was 28 minutes. No side effects related to the hypothermia cap were observed. The study concluded that "prehospital use of hypothermia caps is a safe and effective procedure to start therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. This approach is rapidly available, inexpensive, non-invasive, easy to learn and applicable in almost any situation."
Chemotherapy-induced hair loss Hypothermia caps appear useful to prevent
hair loss during some kinds of
chemotherapy, specifically when
taxanes or
anthracyclines are used. It should not be used when cancer is present in the skin of the scalp or in people with
lymphoma or
leukemia. There are generally only minor side effects from treatment. The first U.S. patent, filed in 1979 and granted in 1984, was for
Mark Barron's "Chemo Cap", which consisted of resizable gel-filled nylon pouches that were frozen and worn for 15 to 20 minutes prior to treatment. However, studies throughout the 1980s and early 1990s were not sufficiently encouraging, Ischemic strokes are caused when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain, and comprise roughly 80% of all strokes. Numerous studies have also suggested that therapeutic hypothermia can provide safe and effective adjunctive treatment for migraine headaches. For instance, a 1989 study in
Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain showed 64.5% of 45 patients with migraine or migraine plus chronic daily headache evaluated use of a cold wrap for 20 to 30 minutes as mildly, moderately or completely effective. In a 1984 study using a frozen gel pack, 80% of migraine patients reported the pack was effective. Numerous over-the-counter hypothermia caps today offer therapy for headaches. ==Side effects==