Title :
A portable monitor for fetal heart rate and uterine contraction
Author :
Lin, Chih-Lung ; Wu, Han-Chang ; Liu, Tz-Yi ; Lee, Maw-Huei ; Te-Son Luo ; Young, Shuenn-Tsong
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Nat. Taiwan Univ., Taipei, Taiwan
Abstract :
The authors describe a low-power lightweight device for long-term ambulatory monitoring of high-risk pregnancies. The portable instrument was developed to monitor fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contraction (UC) continuously. It can record the abnormal FHR and UC, and it alerts pregnant women when to go to the hospital to see a physician. The abnormal FHR and UC recorded by the monitor can be analyzed by the associated system, which provides valuable data for the physician as an aid to diagnosis and treatment. The monitor is miniaturized for ambulatory monitoring and is powered by a commercial alkaline 9 V battery
Keywords :
alarm systems; biomechanics; biomedical equipment; electrocardiography; patient monitoring; portable instruments; pressure sensors; 9 V; abdominal pressure variations; abnormal FHR; abnormal UC; commercial alkaline 9 V battery; diagnosis; fetal heart rate; high-risk pregnancies; hospital; long-term ambulatory monitoring; low-power lightweight device; physician; portable instrument; portable monitor; pregnant women; treatment; uterine contraction; Abdomen; Coils; Computerized monitoring; Electrocardiography; Fetal heart; Fetal heart rate; Hardware; Liquid crystal displays; Magnetic sensors; Random access memory;
Journal_Title :
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, IEEE
