Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research

Medical device innovation

Scientists and clinicians working in the Ritchie Centre are developing new medical devices for diagnosis of respiratory and other conditions in preterm infants.

Device for diagnosing obstructive apnea: Infants can suffer from two different types of apnea: central and obstructive. If an infant has central apnea, the central nervous system fails to generate a breath for more than five seconds. Obstructive apnea results from a collapse or closure of the upper airway, which prevents breaths generated in the brain from moving air into and out of the lung. Apneas are common in preterm infants and when they occur in a repeated sequence, with a short period of breathing intervening, repetitive episodes of profound loss of oxygen in the blood can occur that expose the infant to the threat of severe brain injury. The Ritchie Centre team is developing a new device to distinguish between central and obstructive apnea to enable clinicians to select the appropriate apnea treatment for each patient.

Acoustic device for assessment of baby lung inflation: Respiratory problems are one of the greatest hazards facing preterm babies, many of whom require a period of intensive care to treat respiratory distress that may develop into ‘chronic lung disease’, a condition that can prove fatal or render the baby dependent on oxygen for weeks. A key limitation that clinicians face in preventing chronic lung disease is the inability to closely monitor whether lung inflation is optimal. Scientists in the Ritchie Centre are using the transmission of sound through the chest, and the speed at which the sound travels through the lung, as means for estimating lung inflation.

Device for measuring cardiac output: Cardiac output is a key determinant of oxygen delivery to the body. It is often measured in intensive care using techniques that are often invasive and difficult to perform. The Ritchie Centre is assessing a new, non-invasive method that can be carried out quickly and can be repeated as often as desired. An important feature of the new method is that it can be applied to preterm infant patients who are anaesthetised or in intensive care and are consequently unable to co-operate.

Device for measuring infant movement: This device is designed to detect movement in preterm and full-term babies that indicate abnormal conditions such as antenatal asphyxia, infantile drug dependency and seizures. The device has the potential to provide advanced warning of a disorder, offering scope for early therapeutic intervention and better outcome. The device could also be employed in rural and remote areas of Australia where neonatal specialists are unavailable.