UT Southwestern investigating hypothermic technique in treating pediatric hea...(demonstrated that younger children (thos...),Health

Date:10/3/2007

demonstrated that younger children (those younger than 4) actually have worse outcomes. Problems that develop with motor, behavior, learning, memory and other higher-level functions are common even in children with only moderate or mild concussions or injuries, she said.

In head injuries where the skull remains intact there is little room for swelling, Dr. Okada said. This causes diminished blood flow resulting in brain damage. Cooling the body may reduce the swelling and possibly prevent continuing damage. If this therapy proves effective, it would be a major breakthrough in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries.

According to federal and state laws, those who participate in a clinical research study must provide or, in the case of a child, have a guardian provide informed consent. Because of the nature of this trial and the fact that hypothermia must be induced within six hours of injury, it may be sometimes impossible to obtain consent at the time of brain injury.

For this reason, researchers are notifying the public that informed consent will be waived. Every attempt to contact family members to provide notification and obtain consent for continued participation will be made as soon as possible after enrollment.

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Contact: Erin Prather Stafford erin.pratherstafford@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center Source:Eurekalert

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