Haemodynamic and neurophysiological assessments for 2-year outcome prediction in neonates with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To evaluate the prognostic accuracy of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG), cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (cNIRS) and targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnECHO) for predicting 2-year outcomes (neurodevelopment and/or death) in infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH).

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library (2002-16 April 2025). PROSPERO registration: CRD42023387592.

Prognostic studies including infants ≥35 weeks' gestation with HIE treated with whole-body TH and reporting neurodevelopmental impairment at 18-24 months and/or death.

Data were extracted independently. Risk of bias was assessed using Quality in Prognosis Studies. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic ORs (DORs) and area under the curve (AUC) estimates were calculated using random-effects models.