Project Overview

Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in children. It is a very complex disease, but can be correlated with events occurring while a woman in pregnant, sometimes while the woman is in labor and delivering her child. Currently, obstetricians use continuous fetal heart rate monitoring while in labor to help understand how well the baby is oxygenating while the mom is in labor. The baby's ability to obtain oxygen and release carbon dioxide help to maintain an acid-base balance in its blood. When the baby is not oxygenating well, the baby's blood becomes acidotic and develops hypoxic-related brain injuries that can lead to cerebral palsy. After delivery, the pH of the baby's blood is obtained from the umbilical cord to find out if the baby was acidotic and if so, how acidotic. There have been studies correlating the baby's pH with their risk of severe neurological impairments.

Trends in the changes of the heartbeat give clues as to when the baby is becoming acidotic, however these heart rate patterns don't always correlate with the baby's acid-base status. In reality, continuous fetal heart rate monitoring has not changed the rates of cerebral palsy, but has only increased the rate of Cesarean sections for fear of cerebral palsy.

The increased rate of Cesarean sections has significant impacts on both maternal and fetal health. Preventing the first Cesarean section in a young woman's life has become a primary benchmark for obstetric providers and is a focus of many public health initiatives.

The primary focus of this device would be to attempt to decrease the Cesarean section rate. This product is envisioned to be similar to the fetal scalp electrode used for continuous fetal heart rate monitoring. This is a small screw-like electrode that screws superficially into the fetal scalp and measures heart rate. The readings are then plotted in a continuous fashion and projected on the computer screen. Ideally, this electrode would plot the pH in a continuous fashion as well and would be used as a supplement to the fetal heart rate monitoring systems currently in use.

There is not a device like this on the market at this time. If there existed a continuous monitoring system that required very little blood and the pH could be quickly sensed by a small electrode, it could give a better idea of how well the baby is oxygenating while in utero and hopefully prevent unnecessary Cesarean sections.

Team Picture

Contact Information

Team Members

• Nicholas Goetz - Team Leader
• Ani Srinivasan - Communicator
• Sydney Mathiason - BSAC
• Anne Wong - BWIG
• Payton Parmett - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Dr. Kip Ludwig - Advisor
• Dr. Jenna Racine - Client