Newborn given xenon gas in bid to prevent brain injuryRSS Feed

A newborn baby has become the first in the world to be given xenon gas treatment as part of efforts to prevent brain injury.

Riley Joyce was not breathing and had no pulse when he was first born by emergency Caesarean section, reports the BBC News website.

After he was given a 50:50 chance of permanent brain injury, his parents agreed to the novel treatment that was developed by Marianne Thoreson, professor of neonatal neuroscience at the University of Bristol, and Dr John Dingley, consultant anaesthetist at Swansea University's School of Medicine.

The device to deliver the gas is being authorised for use in clinical trials and will be used on at least 12 babies over the coming months before it may be rolled out for use on a more widespread scale, the report added.

In other news, a study has begun in the US to assess the use of progesterone as a treatment for traumatic head injuries.

BrainandSpinalCord.org states that the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is taking part in the project after earlier findings suggested that progesterone injections could reduce the severity of long-term damage after a brain injury.

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