Fetal Probe Warns Early of Hypoxia

Researchers at the University of Warwick (Coventry, UK) have devised a new probe that provides faster warning to doctors and midwives of fetal hypoxia, a dangerous situation in the birth process when the unborn baby's brain is starved of oxygen.

The probe, developed by the University of Warwick researcher Professor Nick Dale, measures concentration of a chemical found in blood called hypoxanthine. An unborn baby with more than 5 mm/l of hypoxanthine is at severe risk of fetal hypoxia. The threat of fetal hypoxia carries dangers not only for the baby but also for the woman giving birth, since doctors often proceed quickly to a caesarean section if they feel there is a significant threat of fetal hypoxia.

Warwick Medical School researchers have examined the probes and say that the use of Professor Dale's probes to test for hypoxanthine would give doctors in delivery rooms almost instant data on whether the unborn baby faced fetal hypoxia. This would allow doctors to make more informed decisions as to whether to proceed to a cesarean section and probably thereby reduce the number of cesareans conducted. Another advantage is that Professor Dale's test also requires much less fine tuning than current blood tests for hypoxia that measure small shifts in pH, a measure of acidity and alkalinity.

Sarissa Biomedical (Coventry, UK), a spin-out company of Warwick University, aims to establish a partnership between Sarissa, a medical instrument manufacturer, and venture capitalists to produce a full-blown medical instrument using the new probes






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