Send us Fan Mail

Cooling works at 36 weeks. At 35 weeks, nobody is sure. Ben brings a new Journal of Perinatology analysis of the National Inpatient Sample, covering 1.4 million infants from 2016 to 2022, asking what happens when therapeutic hypothermia is offered just below the evidence line. Cooled 35-weekers died at higher rates than cooled 36-weekers, but within the 35-week group, cooling changed nothing either way. Coagulopathy rose with cooling. Mediation analysis says it wasn't the cause. Ben and Daphna work through what that leaves us, and why shared decision making and careful documentation carry the weight here

----

Therapeutic hypothermia and in-hospital mortality in 35-week infants with encephalopathy. Aly H, Eltaly H, Mohamed FA, Saker F, Acun C, Mohamed MA.J Perinatol. 2026 Jun 3. doi: 10.1038/s41372-026-02738-2. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42236997

Support the show

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!