Changes of lactate, glucose, ionized calcium and glutamate concentrations in cephalic vein blood during brain hypothermia using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in a newborn infant with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

An asphyxiated infant with severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy was treated by brain hypothermia using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The brain hypothermia using ECMO maintained cardiopulmonary functions and stabilized brain temperatures by stably supply of the cooled blood to the brain. Moreover,we measured the levels of glucose, lactate, ionized calcium and glutamate in plasma. The comparison between these levels in the artery and in the cephalic vein, suggests that glucose, lactate, ionized calcium and glutamate might be used as markers of the effects of hypothermia therapy.