Chill Out

Critically ill newborn babies are now being “put on ice” to save their lives. Jamie Merrick was born with his umbilical cord wrapper around his throat. His brain had been starved of oxygen, so it needed time to heal. Doctors have come up with a ground-breaking technique to accomplish this. They cool the newborn’’s body to about 92 degrees. This helps prevent swelling of the brain and encourages healing. The chilling effect decreases the metabolism in the brain, which helps it recover and limits the amount of damage. Doctors say the new technique is the best development in treatment of newborns in the last 20 years. And it’’s also being done with adults who suffer an oxygen loss to the brain. It kind of adds a new meaning to the words “chill out.”