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Pioneering Neonatologist Andrew whitelaw Revolutionized Care for Newborns
A groundbreaking neonatologist whose innovative techniques dramatically improved outcomes for premature and oxygen-deprived babies has died at the age of 79. Andrew Whitelaw, whose work was described as transforming the care of newborns, pioneered methods like flushing blood clots from infants’ brains and utilizing therapeutic hypothermia – cooling babies to prevent brain damage.
Whitelaw entered the field in the 1970s, when, as he put it, the human brain was largely a “black box.” However, advancements in scanning technology soon allowed clinicians to diagnose and treat conditions previously only detectable during autopsy. This shift propelled the rapid evolution of neonatology – the specialized care of newborns and premature infants – and Whitelaw quickly became a leading figure.
He served as a neonatology consultant at the Hammersmith Hospital in London from 1981 to 1989,followed by eight years at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol,before becoming professor of neonatal medicine at the University of Bergen,Norway,in 1997.
One of Whitelaw’s earliest focuses was on babies who suffered strokes in the womb or during birth. At the time, the standard treatment was limited, and outcomes where frequently enough poor. he embarked on years of research culminating in the 2003 Drift trial (drainage, irrigation and fibrinolytic therapy).
The Drift trial aimed to directly address the issue by flushing blood clots from the brain using a catheter and clot-busting drugs. “I watched the first baby like a hawk,hardly daring to leave for the first 16 hours,” Whitelaw recalled of the tense initial stages of the trial. His dedication paid off; a follow-up study, Drift10, demonstrated that children treated with the technique showed improved IQ scores at age 10 compared to those receiving standard care.
Whitelaw also tackled the problem of brain damage resulting from oxygen deprivation,often caused by difficult births or placental issues. He and thoresen hypothesized that cooling the body could mitigate this damage, leading to the 1999 CoolCap trial, which explored reducing a baby’s temperature for 72 hours. Recognizing the sensitive nature of the procedure,Whitelaw personally took on the responsibility of explaining the trial to new parents,often at short notice and outside of regular hours,for over two and a half years. This commitment led to the successful Toby trial in 2002 (total body hypothermia trial), which expanded cooling to the entire body. Therapeutic cooling is now a standard practice for newborns experiencing oxygen deprivation.
Beyond these landmark trials,Whitelaw was an early adopter of kangaroo care,a practice originating in bogotá,Colombia,where premature babies were placed skin-to-skin with their parents due to a lack of incubators. Impressed by its success during a 1984 visit, he conducted a trial at the Hammersmith Hospital and championed its widespread adoption, and it is now widely endorsed by the NHS.
Born in Derby, Whitelaw was the only child of Robert, a Scottish obstetrician, and Cicily (nee ballard), an English radiographer and Liberal councillor. A formative experience during his childhood in Dunfermline, Scotland, involved a girl with cerebral palsy who was unable to walk, leaving a lasting impression on him.He was educated at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, where he played the bagpipes, before studying medicine at King’s College, Cambridge, in 1964. A car accident in 1969 left him with a permanent eye injury and recurring migraines, which he acknowledged impacted his clinical years.
His early career included positions at Northwick Park Hospital,Great Ormond Street Hospital,and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto,providing him with a strong foundation in paediatric care.
Whitelaw married Sara Sparks in 1969, with whom he had three children – Nicola, Ben, and Rebecca – before divorcing in 1988. He married his colleague Marianne Thoresen in 1990, and they had a son, Thomas. He served as president of the Neonatal Society from 2006 to 2009.
Following his retirement in 2011, Whitelaw divided his time between Norway and the UK, pursuing hobbies such as cross-country skiing and playing the guitar, and continuing to play the bagpipes in a marching band in Bristol.
Andrew Whitelaw is survived by Marianne,
