19-11-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — A hands-free heart rate monitor for babies, which was developed by a team of engineers and clinicians at The University of Nottingham, was viewed by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh at a special reception at Buckingham Palace.
Each year in the UK, around one in 10 newborn babies need some form of resuscitation in the vital few minutes after they are born. Currently the midwife or doctor has to keep stopping during resuscitation to listen to the baby’s heart beat with a stethoscope. Crucial seconds can be lost, putting the baby at risk of brain damage, respiratory illness and blindness.
HeartLight is a small electronic heart rate monitor, which is placed on the baby’s forehead. The monitor could one day provide a continuous recording of the baby’s heart rate without interrupting the resuscitation procedure.
The technology was displayed as part of the Diamond Anniversary Reception for the children’s charity Action Medical Research. The reception was held in one of the State Rooms at the Palace celebrating the children’s charity’s 60th anniversary.
Three members of the team that were involved in developing HeartLight at The University of Nottingham travelled to Buckingham Palace, including Professor Barrie Hayes-Gill, Professor John Crowe and Dr Don Sharkey.
“Currently a stethoscope is used to measure the heart rate intermittently, which causes delays in resuscitation efforts and these measurements can be prone to human error. However, with the HeartLight sensor, a medical professional is able to focus completely on the resuscitation efforts without ever having to lose critical time by stopping to use a stethoscope.”
An Impact Campaign priority
The University of Nottingham’s HeartLight monitor has benefited from development funding as a result of a £250k Portfolio Award from the Medical Research Council.
For more information about Heartlight, contact Dr George Rice on 0115 823 2190, or email george.rice@nottingham.ac.uk
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The University of Nottingham
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email: news@nottingham.ac.uk
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