Baby strangled by own umbilical cord survives - A baby boy, who was starved of oxygen at birth, has survived with a new medical technique

Baby strangled by own umbilical cord survives

A baby boy, who was starved of oxygen at birth, has survived with a new medical technique.

Jamie Merricks was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his throat.

This prevented him from breathing resulting in damage to his brain after it was starved of oxygen.


Doctors at a hospital in Birmingham, UK, utilised a new treatment where they cooled the baby down to well below normal body temperature, between 33 and 34 degrees Centigrade.

The treatment involved a machine called a Tecotherm Neo, which uses cooling fluid - similar to that used in a car - in a mat onto which the baby is placed.

The baby's temperature is monitored via a probe, allowing the machine to make continual temperature adjustments.

This treatment was inspired by the experiences of climbers who had been trapped, but had endured freezing conditions.

Jamie's doctor Vidya Garikapati said the idea was to "decrease the metabolism in the brain and thereby helping brain to recover and limit the damage which has already happened".

Garikapati believes the new treatment is the biggest breakthrough in the care of newborns in the last 20 years.
Source: AP / NDTV