Mini Fetal Monitor Saves Lives

Reported January 2009

BALTIMORE (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Every mother-to-be wants to deliver a healthy baby, and doctors use large ultrasound monitors to check on the health of their unborn babies. A new cell-phone-sized device keeps watch on unborn babies around the clock

Whether you're an experienced mom who can look back at pregnancy and smile or a new mother-to-be, all women want to deliver a healthy baby.

OBGYN doctors often use ultrasound to monitor a baby's heart rate and look for any signs of danger, but it's not a perfect technology. For high-risk pregnancies, specialists want to monitor the baby more closely.

"It doesn't tell you very much about fetal movement, it doesn't tell you anything about maternal well-being and it doesn't monitor the uterus," Ahmet Baschat, M.D., a high risk pregnancy specialist at University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., told Ivanhoe.

The new device monitors both mother and baby's heart rates, detects a baby's position and movement and monitors uterus contractions -- all in one hand-held, portable, wearable device.

"It's much more convenient," Dr. Baschat said. "You can carry it under your clothes. You can have the device hanging in a belt just like a mobile phone."

Five electrodes placed on the mother's belly pick up electrical signals just like an EKG for heart monitoring. The monitor stores the information on a USB device that doctors can read off any computer. The monitor can spot danger signs earlier, giving doctors time to intervene and help save lives.

"That's ultimately the hope, that you will detect problems before they lead to irreversible change in the baby," Dr. Baschat said.

The monitor can be worn for an extended amount of time. Its portability makes getting around easier for impatient moms-to-be. In the future, doctors intend to use the monitor for home use to wirelessly transmit health information on mother and baby to doctors' offices.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Sharon Boston
Public Affairs Rep
University of Maryland Medical Center
Balltimore, MD
sboston@umm.edu

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