ArticlePediatric research2026
Developmental outcomes in infants treated with therapeutic hypothermia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInfants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are at high-risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, which may be further impacted by disruptions to social and healthcare systems such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to compare outcomes of infants with HIE born before versus during the pandemic. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively compared neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with HIE born pre-pandemic (10/2017-12/2019) versus during the pandemic (03/2020-09/2021), using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-4 at 12 and 18-24 months.
resultsAmong 73 infants studied, no differences were found in the baseline characteristics of two groups. Infants born during the pandemic (n = 40) had lower language scores at 12 months than pre-pandemic infants (n = 33) (mean 93.3 vs 99.4; p = 0.042). More pandemic cohort infants showed poorer gross motor development at 12 (40.6% vs 9.1%; p = 0.014) and 18-24 months (45.5% vs 18.5%; p = 0.035). The gap in language performance between infants with low versus high family-social risk widened during the pandemic.
conclusionsInfants with HIE born during the pandemic showed temporarily reduced language and consistently lower motor performance compared to pre-pandemic peers. This may reflect reduced access to therapies and increased family distress, underscoring the need to build resilient, equitable follow-up support systems for vulnerable children during periods of heightened environmental stress. IMPACT: This study suggests a potential impact of the pandemic-related healthcare and social disruptions on neurodevelopmental outcomes of high-risk neonates. Infants with neonatal encephalopathy born during the pandemic had worse language and gross motor outcomes, despite similar baseline characteristics to those born pre-pandemic. The widening language gap among infants from higher family-social risk backgrounds highlights possible inequities during the pandemic. The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining accessible, equitable early intervention and follow-up services during periods of societal stress, informing future healthcare system preparedness and policy planning.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.