Ventilatory management of asphyxiated infant during hypothermia

Hypothermia is used for its neuroprotective effect in perinatal asphyxia. Mechanical ventilation is often used as a supportive therapy for severe asphyxiated infants who can present various degrees of respiratory failure. Animal studies demonstrated a protective effect of cooling on the lungs due to reduced ventilatory requirements. Even if actual knowledge on the effects of hypothermia and rewarming on respiratory parameters during mechanical ventilation is limited, nevertheless human studies seem to demonstrate that hypothermia is safe and does not cause significant changes in the level of respiratory supports.