Researchers seek to revolutionize neonatal care with innovative wireless technology
SOURCE: Montreal Children’s Hospital
November 1, 2024
The Smart Hospital Project has come a long way since its inception in 2021. With the aim of developing wireless vital signs monitors, the project has just completed its second phase, and the results look encouraging.
Dr. Guilherme Sant'Anna and Dr. Wissam Shalish are Neonatologists at the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH) and Scientists with the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program and the Child Health and Human Development Program, respectively, at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). Both conduct research in the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at the RI-MUHC. With Robert Kearney, Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at McGill University, they are the lead researchers of the Smart Hospital Project, the first of its kind in Canada.
In addition to developing a wireless device, the researchers are conducting a study directly in a care environment, specifically in the MCH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The goal is to compare the data collected by wireless vital signs sensors with that collected by traditional wired electrodes. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are also being used to analyze the data in order to support the care team and improve patient outcomes.
The latest developments in the Smart Hospital Project were highlighted in September at a symposium in the Cruess Amphitheatre of the RI-MUHC. The research team reported that since 2021, their device prototype has been tested on 50 patients and adjusted as the trial progressed. Its shape is different, it is softer and the adhesive has been redesigned to protect the delicate skin of premature babies. Analysis of the results is ongoing.
“We want to make sure that the use of wireless monitors is safe and feasible, and that the data received is accurate. So far, the results are very promising. I estimate that we could integrate these monitors into our clinical care within two years,” says Dr. Sant'Anna.
The researchers are also developing a smart dashboard that will display graphic trends. A graphical user interface with a control system enables hospital staff to observe the condition of all patients and take appropriate action. The dashboard also features an interface for parents, presenting data in a way they can understand.
“This will help them communicate with the healthcare team,” adds Dr. Sant'Anna.
Once the NICU study is complete, the team will focus on assessing the impact and benefits of using wireless vital signs monitors. A cost-effective analysis will also be carried out.
A revolution
Currently, critically ill babies hospitalized in the NICU have five to ten wired electrodes taped to their fragile skin. These devices are connected to a wall of machines that monitor breathing, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and other variables.
Although these wires are essential, they do have drawbacks. They restrict the baby's movements, increase the risk of infection, can damage a newborn's delicate skin and complicate care, diaper changes and feeding. This old technology also forces nurses to manually check their patients' vital signs at different times of the day. What's more, the tangle of wires complicates life for parents who want to cuddle and bond with their sick baby.
In comparison, wireless vital signs monitors consist of a single, small sensor. The sensor continuously transmits the baby's vital signs to a computer located at the nursing station rather than in the patient's room. This constant monitoring gives the care team a more complete picture of the child's state of health, and alerts nurses and doctors more quickly to changes in the patient's condition, improving care and potentially reducing the length of hospitalization.
In the future, wireless monitoring could allow some patients to go home while their vital signs are monitored remotely. The sensor can also measure other signals, such as the baby's movements. And of course, without all those wires, mom and dad can easily hold their baby in their arms!
Learn more about the Smart Hospital project: https://www.smarthospitalproject.com/
About the Montreal Children’s Hospital
Established in 1904, the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH) is Quebec’s oldest children’s hospital and the pediatric hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). A tertiary and quaternary care teaching and research facility, treating newborns, children and adolescents up to age 18, it serves 63 percent of the geographic population of Quebec. With its pediatric care and research facilities adjacent to the adult facility on the Glen site, the Children’s is in a unique position to offer services and research across the lifespan. The Centre for Innovative Medicine - the only clinical research centre in a hospital setting in North America – allows its researchers to conduct clinical trials on the Hospital site. The Children's is a leader in providing a broad spectrum of highly specialized care to young patients and families from all across Quebec. The hospital is a provincially designated trauma centre and is recognized for its wealth of expertise in cardiology and cardiac surgery, emergency care, neurology and neurosurgery. montrealchildrenshospital.ca