STTR Phase II: Accurate Fetal Health Monitoring During Labor and Delivery

Storx Technologies, Inc., Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project is to advance an innovative method of fetal monitoring, which has the prospect of improving outcomes, reducing cost, and promoting equitable access to quality care during childbirth. The project serves the aligned interest of several key stake holders: patients, payers, providers and policy makers, as it will promote the safety of both the mother and baby in the birth process, while reducing the need for unnecessary interventions by the care providers. The project is expected to have very broad impact as safe childbirth is a societal health imperative that touches virtually every family, and disproportionately impacts families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Other broader impacts include enrichment of trainees’ educational experience at the partner research institution, and transition of underlying federally-supported basic research into the marketplace. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project will build on an innovative technology for non-invasive, transabdominal measurement of fetal arterial blood oxygen saturation (fSpO2). The underlying principle of operation is shining light in the abdominal area of the pregnant mother at two specific near infrared wavelengths, followed by sensing the small amount of diffusely-scattered light on the maternal abdomen. The relative concentration of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the pulsating fetal blood regulates light absorption by the fetal tissue, resulting in a faint pattern in the sensed light signals. The sensed signals are analyzed to detect such patterns, and to infer fSpO2. The project activities include further revisions of the device prototype and collaboration with a team of clinical researchers to demonstrate safe and accurate transabdominal fSpO2 measurement in a pilot patient study. The project provides the foundation and support for impacting patient care in the longer term. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.