After the birth of premature babies doctors is extremely important to constantly monitor such vital signs as respiration, heart rate and oxygen level in the blood. They use 5-6 sensors that are connected to medical equipment by means of wires. The electronics copes well with its task, however a lot of wires interfere with the infants to move and do not give nurses and mothers to freely hold them. Scientists found a solution to this problem.
Researchers from northwestern University Chicago presented a technology that allows you to monitor the health of the kids wirelessly. For this, they propose to use only two sensors, which are made of soft silicone, does not cause allergic reactions. They are designed to read the indicators about health and the transfer unit, which is located under the mattress of the crib.
One of the sensors attached to the chest of the child, and the second wraps around the legs. Together, they control the heart rate, oxygen levels, body temperature and other indicators that have fixed wired sensors.
The differences in temperature between the foot and the chest are of great clinical importance to determine blood flow and heart function.
John Rogers, Director of research
It is noteworthy that the new technology can also measure blood pressure, which previous method could not do. Nurses had to use a standard cuff on the wrist, which could cause bruising. Testing the new 70 newborns have shown that wireless sensors do not cause any side effects.
The great thing is that the sensors are quite inexpensive — about $ 10 apiece. In order to save them can be sterilized and reused. It is expected that wireless sensors will begin to appear in hospitals in the U.S. in the next 2-3 years.
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