Device to reduce CS rates, help complicated deliveries

A new innovative and non-invasive device system that may reduce the rate of caesarean Sections (C-Sections) and improve the results in difficult and complicated deliveries has been developed.

The system has been developed by scientists and obstetrician gynaecology researchers based at the University of California, Davis. “Current technology that is used to measure the status of the foetus during the period between the onset of labour and the delivery of the placenta (intrapartum) is unable to provide an objective metric of foetal well- being. While foetal oxygen saturation is a more suitable measure of foetal distress, the inaccessibility of the foetus prior to birth makes this impossible to capture through current means. This research aimed to build a device that can measure foetal blood oxygen saturation directly,” said Soheil Ghiasi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, who led the team of researchers in developing the new delivery monitoring device.

Previously, obstetricians monitored foetal heart rate and the mother’s rate of contractions to assess the health of the foetus during labour. “When taken together, these measurements are a representation of the foetal blood and oxygen levels,”said Prof Ghiasi.

Prof Ghiasi noted that a foetus is likely to suffer lasting damage or even death if it is deprived of oxygen before birth. “Such incidents often end up with emergency caesarean sections. The ripple effect is that we get a high rate of caesarean births, but without much improvement in the rate of foetal complications that are associated with oxygen deficiency,” he said.

BLOOD SUPPLY INTERRUPTION

The new device, dubbed trans-abdominal foetal oximetry (TFO) system, will provide in-utero measures of foetal oxygen saturation. “The system works by placing a reflecting optic sensor on the expectant mothers’ abdomen. It then sends photons into the body to investigate the underlying tissue of the foetus,” the study report said.

When put in trials, this device system was able to accurately measure foetal hypoxia, a condition in which the body or a region of the body lacks adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level.

The findings of this research were published in the journal IEEE Transactions in Biomedical Engineering. In most cases, the occurrence of foetal hypoxia can lead to brain injuries. This condition occurs due to causes such as cord occlusion, prolapse, placental infarction, and maternal smoking.

A prolapse occurs when an organ such as bowel bladder or the uterus in the pelvis slips down and bulges into the vagina. Placental infarction occurs when a part of the placenta is deprived of blood supply, which causes placental cells to die. Cord occlusion involves the interruption of blood supply through the umbilical cord.