Problems during labor and delivery can include umbilical cord occlusion, torsion or prolapse, rupture of the placenta or uterus, excessive bleeding from the placenta, abnormal fetal position such as the breech position, prolonged late stages of labor, or very low blood pressure in the mother. Problems after delivery can include severe prematurity, severe lung or heart disease, serious infections, trauma to the brain or skull, congenital malformations of the brain or very low blood pressure in the baby and due to suffocation in cases of Münchausen syndrome by proxy.The severity of a neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury may be assessed using Sarnat staging, which is based on clinical presentation and EEG findings, and also using MRI. Signs and symptoms of HIE may include:

Low Apgar scores, <5 at 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Floppiness, or unreactive to sights or sounds, or more tense and agitated. Low heart rate. Low blood pressure. Poor muscle tone and absent reflexes. Weak breathing, no breathing at all, or rapid breathing. Need for resuscitation after delivery. Weak cry. Bluish or pale skin color. Excessive acid in the blood. Seizures or abnormal movements. Problems feeding

Mechanism
Details of the mechanism of damage from cerebral hypoxia, along with anoxic depolarization, can be found here: Mechanism of anoxic depolarization in the brain

Diagnosis
Classification
Cerebral hypoxia is typically grouped into four categories depending on the severity and location of the brains oxygen deprivation:

Diffuse cerebral hypoxia – A mild to moderate impairment of brain function due to low oxygen levels in the blood.
Treatment
MEWDS is a self limited disease with excellent visual recovery within 2-10 weeks. However residual symptoms including photopsia may persist for months. == References ==