Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41760908›Full record

SynthesisPediatric research2026

Systematic review of terminology, definitions, and eligibility criteria in trials of neonatal encephalopathy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and perinatal asphyxia.

Tim Hurley, Fiona Quirke, Aoife Branagan, Robert McCarthy, Elaine Finucane, Graham King, Petek Eylul Taneri, Mohamed El-Dib, Frank Harry Bloomfield, Beccy Maeso and 25 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis 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.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

35 authors.

Tim HurleyDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Fiona QuirkeHealth Research Board Neonatal Encephalopathy PhD Training Network (NEPTuNE), Dublin, Ireland.
Aoife BranaganDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Robert McCarthyDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Elaine FinucaneEvidence Synthesis Ireland, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Graham KingDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Petek Eylul TaneriHealth Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Mohamed El-DibDepartment of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Frank Harry BloomfieldLiggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Beccy MaesoJames Lind Alliance, School of Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Betsy PilonHope for HIE, West Bloomfield, MI, USA.
Sonia BonifacioDivision of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Courtney J WusthoffDepartment of Neurology, University of California- Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Lina ChalakDivision of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Cynthia F BearerDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Deirdre M MurrayINFANT Research Centre, Cork, Ireland; Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Nadia BadawiCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, Specialty of Child & Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Suzann K CampbellDepartment of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Sarah B MulkeyPrenatal Pediatrics Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington DC, VA, USA.
Pierre GressensUniversité Paris Cité, NeuroDiderot, Inserm, Paris, France.
Donna M FerrieroDepartment of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Linda S de VriesDepartment of Neonatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Karen WalkerDepartment of Newborn Care, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Sarah KayPEEPS-HIE, Manchester, UK.
Geraldine B BoylanINFANT Research Centre, Cork, Ireland; Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Christopher GaleNeonatal Medicine, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Chelsea and Westminster Campus, Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Nicola J RobertsonInstitute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
Mary D'AltonDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Tetyana H NesterenkoDepartment of Neonatology, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Ulrike MietzschDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.
Alistair J GunnDepartments of Physiology and Paediatrics, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Karin B NelsonNational Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Declan DevaneHealth Research Board Neonatal Encephalopathy PhD Training Network (NEPTuNE), Dublin, Ireland.
Eleanor J MolloyDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. Eleanor.molloy@tcd.ie.
Steering Group for DEFiNE (Definition of Neonatal Encephalopathy)

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAppropriate terminology and definitions of neonatal encephalopathy (NE), hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and perinatal asphyxia (PA) remain controversial. Participant criteria used in therapeutic hypothermia (TH) trials are frequently used as case definitions for NE/HIE/PA but studies are inconsistent. This review aims to assess variations in terminology and case participant criteria between trials for NE/HIE/PA.

methodsSearch strategy retrieved articles from databases (Embase, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, CDSR and WHO) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions for NE/HIE/PA using any definition for NE/HIE/PA. Outcomes were a description of the terminology, definitions, and participant criteria. Two reviewers independently screened results. Qualitative results were synthesized in a narrative summary.

resultsThe search provided 6768 results. 67 were included in the qualitative synthesis. HIE was the most frequently used term (56/67). NE was the least frequent (16/67). Some of the common inclusion criteria were Apgar scores (63/67), metabolic acidosis (58/67), and reduced level of consciousness (57/67). Most frequently employed exclusion criteria were prematurity (63/67), major congenital abnormalities (62/67), and identification beyond 6 h from birth (62/67). DISCUSSION: This review identified variations in terminology and in-trial participant criteria between studies. These results will inform a consensus process for developing a definition and case definition of NE/HIE/PA. IMPACT: Our article demonstrated significant variations in the terminology used to describe the condition of NE/HIE/PA, which demonstrates a need for more consistent definitions in terminology. A broad but meaningful definition of the condition would provide an inclusive approach while permitting subclassifications within the condition, and permitting comparisons and benchmarking across different settings. Developing consistency across these areas, as far as possible, would allow improved interpretation of interventions on long-term prognosis and greater generalizability of trial results.

Indexed as

Asphyxia NeonatorumHypoxia-Ischemia, BrainTerminology as TopicHumansHypothermia, InducedInfant, NewbornRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID41760908
PMCPMC13638470

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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 OpenQuestion graph.