Neonatal Thrombocytopenia after Perinatal Asphyxia Treated with Hypothermia: A Retrospective Case Control Study

Box 1

Selection criteria for therapeutic hypothermia at the Leiden University Medical Center.

(i)    Gestational age at birth ≥36 weeks

(ii)  AND perinatal asphyxia defined as:

    Apgar score at 5 minutes ≤5 OR

    respiratory failure requiring resuscitation measures during at least 10 minutes after birth OR

    arterial pH <7.0 and base excess ≤−16 mmol/L in either arterial umbilical cord blood

    sample/arterial blood gas within one hour after birth OR

    lactate >10 mmol/L in either arterial umbilical cord blood sample or arterial blood gas

    within one hour after birth

(iii) AND Encephalopathy with:

    Thompson score >7 between 1 and 3 hours after birth OR

    abnormal background pattern on aEEG

(iv)  AND Start time of hypothermia as soon as possible, at least within 6 hours after birth.