Sensory-Packed Glove for Safe Delivery

First glove with sensors to aid in fetal position identification and force applied to the fetal skull during labor

Highlights:

A low-cost medical device is being developed to aid in the delivery of fetuses
This sensory glove helps in identifying the fetal position, force applied during the delivery //
This tool can also be used for vaginal examinations

A new study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Global Women's Health uncovered a low-cost sensor glove that could do just that. The gadget was developed to help healthcare workers assess the fetal position and force applied to the fetal head during delivery, both of which can contribute to obstructed labor and poor birth outcomes. The tool has the potential to improve birth outcomes in low-resource areas by providing real-time data during vaginal inspections ().

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‘Low-cost technology assists in childbirth via a glove with sensors to help in the positioning of the fetus and monitor the technicalities followed during the delivery.’

Birth Outcomes in Low-Income Areas

When labor isn't progressing as planned, professionals can utilize a variety of medical technologies to figure out what's wrong. However, these technologies and the experienced personnel to use them are not always available in low- and middle-income nations. According to the researchers behind this latest study, 98% of stillbirths occur in such countries, highlighting the magnitude of the problem.

Obstructed labor, in which the fetus's position or size prevents it from passing through the birth canal, is a primary cause of this problem. Doctors can treat this scenario with a variety of approaches, but they must first detect the problem, preferably as soon as feasible. The goal of this study was to develop a low-cost option for doctors in low-resource areas.

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A Vaginal Exam Detecting Glove

As the foundation for this technology, the researchers started with a standard surgical glove. On the glove's fingertips, they printed flexible pressure and force sensors. These sensors are made of metal-oxide nanocomposites that can generate an electric current when they come into contact with objects. The researchers cleverly ensured that the sensors were thin enough not to interfere with a doctor's sense of touch. To keep things sterile in the vaginal canal, a second surgical glove can be worn over the team's glove. The team also created a smartphone app that allows clinicians to access real-time sensor data. Each detecting glove is made for less than a dollar.

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System Evaluation

To put the technology to the test, the researchers made silicone elastomer models of a baby's skull, which mimicked the intricate surface features of the real thing. An expert obstetrician performed fake vaginal examinations with the sensing glove and silicone heads to see if the technology could identify fetal position features and measure the force applied to the head.

With a jump in electrical current as the glove's finger passed over them, the sensing glove correctly identified the joints between the 'bones' of the model heads. This would allow a clinician to detect the location of these joints and, as a result, compute the fetal orientation. The glove also detected the force applied to the heads and transmitted real-time data to the smartphone app.

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Technology Translation

The researchers intend to perform human testing to see if the glove can deliver the same information in real-world situations. If the technique is successful, it could provide a simple and low-cost early warning system for obstructed delivery in low-resource areas of the world. It may also be useful as a training tool for clinicians in such areas.

"This is the first glove of its kind that might be used to identify the fetal position and so may be able to enhance labor outcomes," said lead author Dr. Shireen Jaufuraully of University College London. "We expect that if the clinical translation is successful, the glove will be utilized globally, boosting the safety of aided vaginal birth."

Reference:

Preventing stillbirth from obstructed labor: A sensorized, low-cost device to train in safer operative birth - (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.1039477/full)

Source-Medindia