Globes [online] is reporting that an Israeli company Barnev Ltd. has obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its computerized labor monitoring system.
The company’s CLM (Computerized Labor Monitoring) system is based on a very interesting ultrasound technology, that allows computerized antepartum monitoring without frequent gloved digital intrusions into the vaginal canal. Hence it is a digital anti-digital system:
Barnev’s CLM (Computerized Labor Monitoring) system uses proprietary ultrasound technology to provide safe, continuous and accurate measurement of cervix dilatation and fetal head descent.
Signals from disposable sensors located on the maternal cervix and fetal head provide objective, continuous and accurate cervical dilatation and fetal head descent data, reducing the need for frequent vaginal examinations. The CLM automates and objectifies the examination process, giving labor teams the accurate real-time information they need to make truly informed decisions.
The underlying concept behind CLM is the use of ultrasound technology to calculate the distance between sensors. The CLM system monitors cervical dilatation by transmitting ultrasonic waves from transducers (placed on the abdomen) to receivers affixed safely and painlessly to the mother’s cervix. Thus cervical dilatation is monitored continuously and automatically with a high degree of accuracy, reducing the need for manual examinations.
Similarly, sensors affixed to the fetal crown and at external anatomical locations enable accurate monitoring of fetal head descent. In most hospitals, the attachment of an ECG electrode to the crown of the baby’s head (as soon as it is accessible) is a standard practice. The CLM sensors are incorporated within the standard ECG electrode.
The underlying concept behind CLM is the use of ultrasound technology to calculate the distance between sensors. The CLM system monitors cervical dilatation by transmitting ultrasonic waves from transducers (placed on the abdomen) to receivers affixed safely and painlessly to the mother’s cervix. Thus cervical dilatation is monitored continuously and automatically with a high degree of accuracy, reducing the need for manual examinations.