Mimo pillow : an intelligent cushion designed with maternal heart beat vibrations for comforting newborn infants

Premature infants are subject to numerous interventions ranging from a simple diaper change to surgery while residing in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). These neonates often suffer from pain, distress and discomfort during the first weeks of their lives. Although pharmacological pain treatment often is available, it cannot always be applied to relieve a neonate from pain or discomfort. This paper describes a non-pharmacological solution, called Mimo, which provides comfort through mediation of a parent's physiological features to the distressed neonate via an intelligent pillow system embedded with sensing and actuating functions. We present the design, the implementation and the evaluation of the prototype. Clinical tests at Máxima Medical Centre in the Netherlands show that among the 9 of 10 infants who showed discomfort following diaper change, a shorter recovery time to baseline Skin Conductance Analgesimeter (SCA) values could be measured when the maternal heartbeat vibration in the Mimo was switched on and in 7 of these 10 a shorter crying time was measure

Rhythm of Life Aid (ROLA) : an integrated sensor system for supporting medical staff during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) of newborn infants

During the stress of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), it is difficult to maintain the right rhythm and correct ratio of insufflations to chest compressions and to exert the compressions at a constant pressure. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate an integrated sensor system-the Rhythm of Life Aid (ROLA) to support medical staff during CPR of newborn infants. The design concept is based on interactive audio and visual feedback with consideration of functionalities and user friendliness. A prototype ROLA device is built, consisting of a transparent foil integrated with pressure sensor and electroluminescent foil actuators for indication of the exerted chest compression pressure, as well as an audio box to generate distinctive sounds as audio guidance for insufflations and compressions. To evaluate the performance of the ROLA device, a sensory mannequin and a dedicated software interface are implemented to give immediate feedback and record data for further processing. Tests of the ROLA prototype on the sensory mannequin by ten pairs of a doctor and a nurse at Ma´xima Medical Centre in Veldhoven, The Netherlands show that the use of ROLA device achieves a more constant rhythm and pressure of chest compressions during CPR of newborn infants

Rhythm of Life Aid (ROLA) : an integrated sensor system for supporting medical staff during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) of newborn infants

During the stress of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), it is difficult to maintain the right rhythm and correct ratio of insufflations to chest compressions and to exert the compressions at a constant pressure. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate an integrated sensor system-the "Rhythm of Life Aid" (ROLA) to support medical staff during CPR of newborn infants. The design concept is based on interactive audio and visual feedback with consideration of functionalities and user friendliness. A prototype ROLA device is built, consisting of a transparent foil integrated with pressure sensor and electroluminescent foil actuators for indication of the exerted chest compression pressure, as well as an audio box to generate distinctive sounds as audio guidance for insufflations and compressions. To evaluate the performance of the ROLA device, a sensory mannequin and a dedicated software interface are implemented to give immediate feedback and record data for further processing. Tests of the ROLA prototype on the sensory mannequin by ten pairs of a doctor and a nurse at Ma´xima Medical Centre in Veldhoven, The Netherlands show that the use of ROLA device achieves a more constant rhythm and pressure of chest compressions during CPR of newborn infants

Can a novel infant CPR retraining strategy result in longer skill retention?

The overall aim of this thesis was to create a novel, tailored, competence-based strategy to infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (iCPR) retraining, with the ultimate goal of maximising retention of iCPR skills and potentially, improve survival rates after cardiac arrest. To interpret real changes in iCPR performance, consistency and variability of simulated iCPR skills were investigated through a within-day and between-day reliability study. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Standard Error of Measurement and Minimal Detectable Change were used. The results demonstrated that iCPR skills are highly repeatable and consistent, indicating that changes in performance after training can be considered real skill decay or improvement, and not variability in human performance. However, when the metrics are transformed in quality indices, large changes are required to be confident of real change. Differences in performance between dominant hand (DH) and non-dominant hand (NH) during simulated iCPR, and how perception of fatigue may affect performance, were also investigated. A randomised study was conducted, and the results indicated no significant differences in performance with DH versus NH for any iCPR metric. However, perception of fatigue is higher in NH and is related to compression rate and residual leaning, but with no effect on quality of performance. Based on the results, individuals performing iCPR can offer similar quality of infant chest compressions, regardless of the hand used. To investigate iCPR skill acquisition and retention, a prospective, longitudinal, interventional study with 118 participants was conducted. The results indicate that, despite individuals requiring different amounts of input and time (four to 28 minutes after initial training) to achieve iCPR competence, the retention of those skills was as high as 96% at follow-up. This suggests that the optimal reinforcement schedule is highly likely to vary depending on the individual achieving iCPR competence. It may be argued that this tailored, competence-based retraining model, can potentially reduce training costs overall, enhance iCPR performance, and in consequence, may improve the chances of survival after infant cardiac arrest