New device helps difficult births

So much of news dwells on the bad, so it's nice to write this story in today's paper about a Gilbert newborn this week who underwent a potentially life-changing procedure.

The baby, Macie Chloe Reynolds. was born Monday during an emergency Cesarean section. The placenta had separated from the baby during birth, cutting off oxygen. Birth under such circumstances can be traumatic, leading to a lifetime of such disabilities as dyslexia, cerebral palsy or even death.

But Macie became the first newborn at an Arizona hospital to be treated with a new cooling device that helps limit the harm to infants born under such circumstances. The devices consists of a water-filled cap and cooling machine that lowers the baby's brain temperature over 72 hours. Clinical studies have shown that device helped fend off the harmful affects such a birth can have on an infant.

Macie was removed from the device Thursday afternoon and appeared to be recovering well. The parents, Kevin and Tarin Reynolds of Gilbert, also seemed to be in good spirits as they shared their story with me. Tarin is recovering from the difficult birth, and Kevin, a high school Spanish teacher, seems optimistic.

The doctors at Phoenix Children's Hospital tell me that they expect the device to help at least a half dozen Phoenix-area babies each year. The cool-cap machine became operational last week, unfortunately too late for two other infants who were recently born under similar circumstances.

Ken Alltucker covers healthcare for the Arizona Republic and is the father of a happy li'l girl.