Developing Instrumentation for Fetal Cardiac Monitoring

描述（由申请人提供）：由于更多的早产儿和足月儿在可能存在疾病的情况下存活，因此迫切需要评估胎儿的生理发育。这项第一阶段研究将评估开发一种基于高温超导体（HTS）的新型无创胎儿心磁图（fMCG）传感器的可行性。fMCG在评估胎儿节律紊乱方面的潜力特别高。研究表明，fMCG可以检测到超声无法检测到的胎儿节律紊乱，这是唯一广泛使用的技术。fMCG也是胎儿心率监测的理想信号源，提供精确的信号，可以在妊娠的后半期检测到。研究表明，fMCG可以提供其他手段无法获得的重要诊断信息，这有可能提高胎儿监护的准确性。 第一阶段将（1）构建一个原理验证HTS轴向梯度仪fMCG系统，其机架和传感器配置基于来自胎儿心脏信号的先前MCG数据，（2）评估fMCG系统在屏蔽和非屏蔽环境中的信号大小、磁场分辨率和噪声特性方面的灵敏度，并开始完善降噪软件，以及（3）在威斯康星州大学生物磁学研究实验室的磁屏蔽室内，从怀孕开始的几个时间间隔收集胎儿数据。 接受当今快速消费品的一个主要障碍是其高成本和复杂性。如果成功，该项目将导致开发一种实用的仪器，可以显着提高胎儿心脏功能和胎儿福祉的临床评估。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a strong need to assess the physiological development of the fetus, as more pre- and fullterm babies survive with possible disorders. This Phase I research will evaluate the feasibility of developing a new, non-invasive fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) sensor, based on high temperature superconductors (HTS). The potential of fMCG is especially high for evaluating fetal rhythm disorders. Studies have shown that fMCG can detect fetal rhythm disturbances that cannot be detected by ultrasound, which is the only technology in wide use. fMCG is also a nearly ideal signal source for fetal heart rate monitoring, providing a precise signal, which can be detected throughout the last half of pregnancy. Studies have shown that fMCG can provide important diagnostic information, unobtainable by other means, which have the potential to improve the accuracy of fetal monitoring. This Phase I will (1) build a proof-of-principle HTS axial gradiometer fMCG system, with a gantry and sensor configuration based on prior MCG data from fetal heart signals, (2) assess the sensitivity of the fMCG system in terms of signal size, magnetic field resolution, and noise characteristics in shielded and unshielded envrionments, and begin to refine noise reduction software, and (3) collect fetal data at several intervals from gestation, from within the magnetically shielded room at the University of Wisconsin's Biomagnetism Research Laboratory. A major obstacle to acceptance of present-day fMCG is its high cost and sophistication. If successful, the proposed project will lead to the development of a practical instrument which can significantly improve clinical assessment of fetal cardiac function and fetal well-being.