Premature babies lying in incubators in intensive care units are often heavily wired. Researchers are striving to make this environment more comfortable for everyone involved, in particular by wirelessly monitoring the heart and breathing. The aim is to optimize neonatal intensive care by studying and improving the baby's sensory experience. For example, cameras can measure physiological signals and emotional responses without touch. The future vision is a fully developed empathetic incubator as an oasis of comfort for premature babies.
Prof. Dr. Michael Zemlin from Saarland University Hospital explains the challenges in current neonatal intensive care. Among other things, he and his team are researching the development of wireless monitoring systems to reduce the physical strain on newborns and make it easier for medical staff to use them.
Mayur Bhamborae gives a deeper insight into the advanced technological approaches that are being developed as part of the empathic incubator. These include, for example, the possibilities for noise suppression in visual monitoring.
Lastly, Anne Färber reports on the electronic nose, a non-invasive diagnostic tool that aims to reduce the medical burden on premature babies. The electronic nose measures volatile organic compounds in breath, sweat, spit and diapers. This allows it to detect changes in the baby's environment and state of health.
Source: MEDICA-tradefair.com
