SurePulse: Next Generation Multiparameter Vital Signs Monitoring for Newborns

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One in ten babies need assistance with their breathing at birth and one in seven will be admitted to neonatal care i.e. 105,000 (UK) and 20 million/year worldwide.The reasons for this include being born too early or with unexpected trauma or infection. Babies receiving optimal treatment across the neonatal period will generally go on to lead normal lives, however, those where this is not the case are at risk of long-term problems including organ damage.Healthcare professionals have several ways in which they can help sick newborn babies, but to do this they need to reliably monitor the baby’s vital signs. This includes measuring the baby's heart-rate (HR), oxygen levels and making sure their temperature is stable.There are considerable long-term benefits of skin-to-skin contact between parents and baby. However, current monitoring solutions were not designed for the unique needs of newborn babies (often these were designed for adults and scaled or repurposed for neonatal care) and can be cumbersome and get in the way of optimal care and parental bonding.We have started to address these limitations by designing a unique soft cap containing a small and safe, wireless optical sensor that measures newborn HR whilst keeping the newborn warm.This monitor is already approved for use in UK, Europe and America. We now wish to give healthcare professionals, caring for the most vulnerable high-risk babies another advanced device with extended features including ECG, oxygen levels and temperature. It will make it easier and more natural for parents to have the essential neonatal skin-to-skin care knowing their baby is safely monitored. This new multi-function device, complementing our advanced cap, will be a safe and gentle, wearable and wireless, and aimed at improving a baby's long-term outcome.The benefits of this device include improved information for healthcare professionals, a better parental skin-to-skin experience, and improved patient safety. We estimate after five years that this technology will benefit the lives of ~525,000 babies and their parents/year.