Current Controversies in Newer Therapies to Treat Birth Asphyxia

Table 1

Potential therapies to treat birth asphyxia in newborns.

Neuroprotective therapies:
Hypothermia
Drugs that might produce a synergistic neuroprotective effect with hypothermia:
(i) anticonvulsant or antiexcitatory drugs: for example, phenobarbital, topiramate, bumetanide, magnesium sulphate, xenon
(ii) anti-apoptotic drugs: for example, erythropoietin
(iii) anti-calcium drugs: for example, xenon
(iv) anti-inflammatory or antioxidative drugs: for example, melatonin, N-acetylcysteine
Neurorestorative therapies:
(i) erythropoietin
(ii) cord blood and mesenchymal stem cells