The HIE medical abbreviation stands for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by too little oxygen and too little blood flow reaching the brain. It is used most often for newborns who had a problem around the time of birth, though adult notes use it too, for example after a cardiac arrest.
The term breaks into three parts: hypoxic means low oxygen, ischemic means reduced blood flow, and encephalopathy means a disturbance of brain function. Parents usually meet it in a neonatal intensive care unit, and students meet it in pediatrics and neurology. Spoken aloud, the H-I-E medical abbreviation is said letter by letter, since as a medical acronym HIE is not pronounced as a word. Spoken aloud, the H-I-E medical abbreviation is said letter by letter, since as a medical acronym HIE is not pronounced as a word. In health records and IT, HIE also means health information exchange, which is covered briefly below.
At a glance
Stands for
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathyOther meanings
Health information exchange (records sharing)Word parts
Hypo (low) + ox (oxygen); isch (hold back) + emia (blood); encephal/o (brain) + pathy (disease)Main setting
Newborn intensive care; adult ICU after cardiac arrestKey treatment
Therapeutic hypothermia (cooling) for eligible newbornsSpecialty
Neonatology, pediatric and adult neurology
What the HIE medical abbreviation means for a newborn
Neonatal HIE happens when a baby's brain does not get enough oxygen rich blood before, during or shortly after birth. Causes can include problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, a tear of the uterus, severe bleeding in the mother, or a very difficult delivery. Often a single clear cause is never found.
Signs in the first hours can include low scores on the quick newborn check done at one and five minutes, weak breathing, poor muscle tone, trouble feeding, seizures and a blood test showing high acid levels. Doctors sort the encephalopathy as mild, moderate or severe using a structured exam of alertness, tone, reflexes and breathing. That grade guides treatment and helps predict how the child may do, though outcomes vary widely.
Cooling therapy and how notes describe it
For babies born at or near full term with moderate or severe HIE, the standard treatment is therapeutic hypothermia. The baby's body temperature is lowered to around 33.5 degrees Celsius for 72 hours, then slowly warmed. Cooling works best when started within the first 6 hours after birth, which is why referral to a cooling center happens quickly.
NICU admission note: "Term neonate with moderate HIE, therapeutic hypothermia started at 4 hours of life, aEEG monitoring in place." A full term baby with moderate brain injury from low oxygen began cooling four hours after birth, and a continuous brain wave monitor is watching for seizures.
Notes may also mention an EEG, and an MRI of the brain is commonly done after rewarming to look at the pattern of injury.
HIE in adults
Adults can develop the same kind of injury when the heart stops or breathing fails. After cardiac arrest and ROSC, the return of spontaneous circulation, notes may describe hypoxic ischemic brain injury or anoxic brain injury. Teams look at the exam, brain scans, EEG and sometimes blood markers over several days before giving a prognosis. Temperature control is part of post arrest care in many hospitals. A Glasgow Coma Scale score is often recorded to track responsiveness.
Health information exchange: the records meaning
In health IT, billing and administration, HIE means health information exchange, either the act of sharing patient records electronically between hospitals, clinics, labs and pharmacies, or the regional organization that runs that sharing network. A note saying records were obtained via HIE means the clinician pulled outside results through such a network. This meaning appears in policy documents and chart footers, not in clinical assessments.
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| NICU, delivery record, pediatric neurology | Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy |
| Adult ICU after cardiac arrest | Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy |
| Outside records, data sharing, IT notices | Health information exchange |
What parents commonly ask the NICU team
- How was the severity graded, and what did the exam show?
- Is my baby a candidate for cooling, and when did it start?
- What will the MRI after rewarming tell us?
- What follow up will we have after discharge, such as developmental checks or therapy?
Every baby's course after HIE is different. The neonatal team and later the pediatric neurologist are best placed to explain your child's findings and outlook.
Frequently asked questions
What does HIE mean in a newborn?
It means hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by too little oxygen and blood flow to the brain around the time of birth. Doctors sort it into mild, moderate or severe forms.
What is cooling therapy for HIE?
Cooling, or therapeutic hypothermia, lowers an eligible newborn's body temperature for about 72 hours to reduce further brain injury. It is usually started within six hours of birth.
Can adults have HIE?
Yes. Adults can develop hypoxic ischemic brain injury when the brain loses oxygen and blood flow, most often after cardiac arrest. Notes may also call it anoxic brain injury.
What does HIE mean in health records?
Outside clinical diagnoses, HIE means health information exchange, the electronic sharing of patient records between care sites, or the organization that runs that network.