WASHINGTON The same aerospace technology that measures the airflow over the wings of aircraft could one day benefit families expecting a newborn child.
NASA researchers at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia teamed up with Charlotte, North Carolina-based Veatronics to convert the high-flying technology into Earthly applications.
The result: a portable, easy-to-use fetal heart monitor that expectant mothers can use at home.
The device is particularly important for pregnant women who may be bedridden with pregnancy-related complications like hypertension or diabetes. It can also help those who live in poorer rural areas where prenatal care is not readily available or affordable.
"I think the portability of this technology will make it very useful," said Kevin Gomez, a physician at Atlanta Perinatal Associates in Atlanta, which specializes in fetal medicine.
Gomez is testing the fetal heart monitor on his patients through a series of clinical trials required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it can be sold to the public.
One obvious benefit of the device is that it can be used on high-risk patients at home instead of having to check in for an expensive hospital stay. "In terms of healthcare dollars, it would be a real plus," Gomez said.
Doctors would buy the heart monitor and loan it to a high-risk patient to monitor her babys heartbeat. The at-home patient would strap a belt embedded with sensors over her abdomen and tune a computerized device to hear the fetus heartbeat.
The signal would then be transferred by a cord plugged into a computer where it is digitized onto sound cards and can be sent over the internet to the doctors office where it can be read.
NASA used the wing surface material because it is flexible enough to fit over the curve of a pregnant womans abdomen, said Allan Zukerwar at Langleys Advanced Measurement and Diagnostic Branch who helped develop the technology.
NASA hit on the idea after being approached by Dr. Donald A. Baker, a Spokane, Washington physician working at a clinic on an Indian reservation. Baker had a problem getting his pregnant patients to come to the clinic for regular checkups and needed a way to get the technology to them.
It is unclear when the device will be available to the public. "Its now up to the FDA to say that it is ready to be sold on the market," said David Shannon, head of Langleys commercialization office.
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