Classification of Low et al for Newborn Encephalopathy

Low et al classified newborn encephalopathy based on clinical findings. The authors are from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Parameters:

(1) behavior and mental status

(2) muscle tone

(3) seizure activity

(4) apnea (respirations)

Parameter	Mild	Moderate	Severe
mental status	hyperalert, irritable, jittery	lethargic	comatose
muscle tone	transient hypertonia; mild hypotonia	severe hypotonia
seizure activity	none	occasional	multiple episodes
recurrent apnea	absent	absent	present

Risk factors for newborn encephalopathy:

(1) fetal hypoxia with metabolic acidosis (umbilical artery buffer base < 30 mmol/L)

(2) moderate to severe respiratory complications

(3) severe newborn infection, especially if there is central nervous system involvement

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