H.I.E.

H.I.E.

What is H.I.E.? H.I.E. is short for Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (hypoxic = lack of oxygen, ischaemic = restricting blood flow, encephalopathy = affecting the brain). It’s sometimes also known as perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy),

It can be quite a mouthful to say, and even harder to spell! There are sometimes variations between the spellings, with English “ischaemic” and American “ischemic” but they mean the same thing.

A question that’s often asked is “is H.I.E. curable?“. H.I.E. is an event, so it happens, and can’t be undone, but Therapeutic Cooling is sometimes a suitable treatment to limit the extent of any injury.

So what causes H.I.E.? Well there can be lots of reasons – placenta abruption, shoulder dystocia, cord compression, trauma during delivery…the list is long, and it’s not always obvious as to what might have happened, so it’s best to speak to your healthcare professional if you’re unsure.

Does H.I.E. cause cerebral palsy? H.I.E. can cause cerebral palsy, but not in every case. Cerebral palsy is a condition that affected motor function. It can be caused by the injury to the brain caused by the H.I.E. event. More information on cerebral palsy can be found here.