Slow rewarming after hypothermia does not ameliorate white matter injury after hypoxia-ischemia in near-term fetal sheep

Background

The optimal rate to rewarm infants after therapeutic hypothermia is unclear. In this study we examined whether slow rewarming after 72 h of hypothermia would attenuate white matter injury.

Methods

Near-term fetal sheep received sham occlusion (n = 8) or cerebral ischemia for 30 min, followed by normothermia (n = 7) or hypothermia from 3–72 h, with either spontaneous fast rewarming (n = 8) within 1 h, or slow rewarming at ~0.5 °C/h (n = 8) over 10 h. Fetuses were euthanized 7 days later.

Results

Ischemia was associated with loss of total and mature oligodendrocytes, reduced expression of myelin proteins and induction of microglia and astrocytes, compared with sham controls (P < 0.05). Both hypothermia protocols were associated with a significant increase in numbers of total and mature oligodendrocytes, area fraction of myelin proteins and reduced numbers of microglia and astrocytes, compared with ischemia-normothermia (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the number of oligodendrocytes, microglia or astrocytes or expression of myelin proteins between fast and slow rewarming after hypothermia.

Conclusion

The rate of rewarming after a clinically relevant duration of hypothermia had no apparent effect on white matter protection by hypothermia after cerebral ischemia in near-term fetal sheep.

Impact

Persistent white matter injury is a major contributor to long-term disability after neonatal encephalopathy despite treatment with therapeutic hypothermia.

The optimal rate to rewarm infants after therapeutic hypothermia is unclear; current protocols were developed on a precautionary basis.

We now show that slow rewarming at 0.5 °C/h did not improve histological white matter injury compared with rapid spontaneous rewarming after a clinically established duration of hypothermia in near-term fetal sheep.