Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth
Background98% of stillbirths occur in low- and middle- income countries. Obstructed labor is a common cause for both neonatal and maternal mortality, with a lack of skilled birth attendants one of the main reasons for the reduction in operative vaginal birth, especially in low- and middle- income co...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.1039477/full |
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| author | Shireen Jaufuraully Shireen Jaufuraully Carmen Salvadores Fernandez Carmen Salvadores Fernandez Biswajoy Bagchi Biswajoy Bagchi Priya Gupta Priya Gupta Adrien Desjardins Adrien Desjardins Dimitrios Siassakos Dimitrios Siassakos Dimitrios Siassakos Anna L. David Anna L. David Anna L. David Manish K. Tiwari Manish K. Tiwari |
| author_facet | Shireen Jaufuraully Shireen Jaufuraully Carmen Salvadores Fernandez Carmen Salvadores Fernandez Biswajoy Bagchi Biswajoy Bagchi Priya Gupta Priya Gupta Adrien Desjardins Adrien Desjardins Dimitrios Siassakos Dimitrios Siassakos Dimitrios Siassakos Anna L. David Anna L. David Anna L. David Manish K. Tiwari Manish K. Tiwari |
| author_sort | Shireen Jaufuraully |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background98% of stillbirths occur in low- and middle- income countries. Obstructed labor is a common cause for both neonatal and maternal mortality, with a lack of skilled birth attendants one of the main reasons for the reduction in operative vaginal birth, especially in low- and middle- income countries. We introduce a low cost, sensorized, wearable device for digital vaginal examination to facilitate accurate assessment of fetal position and force applied to the fetal head, to aid training in safe operative vaginal birth.MethodsThe device consists of flexible pressure/force sensors mounted onto the fingertips of a surgical glove. Phantoms of the neonatal head were developed to replicate sutures. An Obstetrician tested the device on the phantoms by performing a mock vaginal examination at full dilatation. Data was recorded and signals interpreted. Software was developed so that the glove can be used with a simple smartphone app. A patient and public involvement panel was consulted on the glove design and functionality.ResultsThe sensors achieved a 20 Newton force range and a 0.1 Newton sensitivity, leading to 100% accuracy in detecting fetal sutures, including when different degrees of molding or caput were present. They also detected sutures and force applied with a second sterile surgical glove on top. The software developed allowed a force threshold to be set, alerting the clinician when excessive force is applied. Patient and public involvement panels welcomed the device with great enthusiasm. Feedback indicated that women would accept, and prefer, clinicians to use the device if it could improve safety and reduce the number of vaginal examinations required.ConclusionUnder phantom conditions to simulate the fetal head in labor, the novel sensorized glove can accurately determine fetal sutures and provide real-time force readings, to support safer clinical training and practice in operative birth. The glove is low cost (approximately 1 USD). Software is being developed so fetal position and force readings can be displayed on a mobile phone. Although substantial steps in clinical translation are required, the glove has the potential to support efforts to reduce the number of stillbirths and maternal deaths secondary to obstructed labor in low- and -middle income countries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T19:36:54Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5059 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T19:36:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-b976e81d55784f779a638cf01fd827402023-01-30T04:42:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Global Women's Health2673-50592023-01-01310.3389/fgwh.2022.10394771039477Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birthShireen Jaufuraully0Shireen Jaufuraully1Carmen Salvadores Fernandez2Carmen Salvadores Fernandez3Biswajoy Bagchi4Biswajoy Bagchi5Priya Gupta6Priya Gupta7Adrien Desjardins8Adrien Desjardins9Dimitrios Siassakos10Dimitrios Siassakos11Dimitrios Siassakos12Anna L. David13Anna L. David14Anna L. David15Manish K. Tiwari16Manish K. Tiwari17Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomElizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomNanoengineered Systems Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomNanoengineered Systems Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomNanoengineered Systems Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomElizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London, United KingdomNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomElizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London, United KingdomNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), London, United KingdomWellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomNanoengineered Systems Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United KingdomBackground98% of stillbirths occur in low- and middle- income countries. Obstructed labor is a common cause for both neonatal and maternal mortality, with a lack of skilled birth attendants one of the main reasons for the reduction in operative vaginal birth, especially in low- and middle- income countries. We introduce a low cost, sensorized, wearable device for digital vaginal examination to facilitate accurate assessment of fetal position and force applied to the fetal head, to aid training in safe operative vaginal birth.MethodsThe device consists of flexible pressure/force sensors mounted onto the fingertips of a surgical glove. Phantoms of the neonatal head were developed to replicate sutures. An Obstetrician tested the device on the phantoms by performing a mock vaginal examination at full dilatation. Data was recorded and signals interpreted. Software was developed so that the glove can be used with a simple smartphone app. A patient and public involvement panel was consulted on the glove design and functionality.ResultsThe sensors achieved a 20 Newton force range and a 0.1 Newton sensitivity, leading to 100% accuracy in detecting fetal sutures, including when different degrees of molding or caput were present. They also detected sutures and force applied with a second sterile surgical glove on top. The software developed allowed a force threshold to be set, alerting the clinician when excessive force is applied. Patient and public involvement panels welcomed the device with great enthusiasm. Feedback indicated that women would accept, and prefer, clinicians to use the device if it could improve safety and reduce the number of vaginal examinations required.ConclusionUnder phantom conditions to simulate the fetal head in labor, the novel sensorized glove can accurately determine fetal sutures and provide real-time force readings, to support safer clinical training and practice in operative birth. The glove is low cost (approximately 1 USD). Software is being developed so fetal position and force readings can be displayed on a mobile phone. Although substantial steps in clinical translation are required, the glove has the potential to support efforts to reduce the number of stillbirths and maternal deaths secondary to obstructed labor in low- and -middle income countries.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.1039477/fullstillbirthobstructed laborcesarean sectionsensorized gloveoperative vaginal birth |
| spellingShingle | Shireen Jaufuraully Shireen Jaufuraully Carmen Salvadores Fernandez Carmen Salvadores Fernandez Biswajoy Bagchi Biswajoy Bagchi Priya Gupta Priya Gupta Adrien Desjardins Adrien Desjardins Dimitrios Siassakos Dimitrios Siassakos Dimitrios Siassakos Anna L. David Anna L. David Anna L. David Manish K. Tiwari Manish K. Tiwari Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth Frontiers in Global Women's Health stillbirth obstructed labor cesarean section sensorized glove operative vaginal birth |
| title | Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth |
| title_full | Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth |
| title_fullStr | Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth |
| title_short | Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth |
| title_sort | preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor a sensorized low cost device to train in safer operative birth |
| topic | stillbirth obstructed labor cesarean section sensorized glove operative vaginal birth |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.1039477/full |
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