A ballistocardiographic method and monitoring system calculates an indicator of the average heart rate of a test subject within a time interval. The test subject may be a fetus inside a mother's belly, or infant lying in the same bed as an adult. The monitoring system comprises a recoil surface and an acceleration sensor in contact with the recoil surface. A control unit identifies in the time domain the characteristics of the adult's heartbeat during the time interval. The output signal is then transformed to the frequency domain across the time interval and the signal is screened with the adult heartbeat characteristics. The indicator is then calculated from the screened signal in the frequency domain. The control unit monitors the indicator of the infant or fetus heart rate and may provide an alert if the indicator value drops very rapidly, or falls below a predetermined threshold value.

The disclosed system determines a fetal blood oxygenation level. During operation, the system activates two or more light sources, having different wavelengths, which are positioned on the abdomen of a pregnant mammal to direct light into the maternal abdomen toward a fetus. Next, the system receives a set of mixed signals from a set of photodetectors, which are positioned at different locations on the maternal abdomen to receive reflected light that traverses both maternal and fetal tissue. The system then performs a filtering operation that removes signal components associated with a maternal heart rate and a maternal respiration rate from the set of mixed signals to produce a set of fetal signals. Next, the system combines the set of fetal signals to produce a composite fetal signal. Finally, the system determines the fetal blood oxygenation level by performing a pulse-oximetry computation based on the composite fetal signal.

A method for uterine activity monitoring may include: acquiring a plurality of signals from a plurality of sensors during uterine activity; processing the plurality of signals to extract a plurality of uterine electrical activity characteristics; analyzing the plurality of uterine electrical activity characteristics; and classifying the uterine activity as one of: a preterm labor contraction, a labor contraction, a Braxton-Hicks contraction, and a state of no contraction. A method of assessing over time a pre-term birth risk of a pregnant female may include: calculating a baseline pre-term birth risk score based on a user input; acquiring, over time, a signal from a sensor; analyzing the signal to extract a parameter of interest, such that the parameter of interest comprises a physiological parameter; and calculating an instant pre-term birth risk score based, at least in part, on the parameter of interest and the user input.

The present development is a device for monitoring uterine activity and sending an alert signal through a wireless communication means when uterine activity significantly changes relative to a preset standard. The device, which comprises at least one sensor, is intended to continuously monitor a prescribed activity, such as uterine contractions. The information gathered by the sensors is fed to a computer application for comparison to preset values and, if the gathered information falls outside of the range of the preset values, feeds a signal to a second application designed to send out notifications to preprogrammed devices indicating the physical location of the source data, or where the pregnant patient is located.

A system for monitoring fetal wellbeing over time during pregnancy includes a sensor coupled to a pregnant woman; a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor; and a computer-readable medium having non-transitory, processor-executable instructions stored thereon. Execution of the instructions causes the processor to perform a method including: acquiring a signal from a sensor; processing the signal to identify and extract a parameter of interest from the signal; and analyzing the parameter of interest to determine a degree of fetal wellbeing. The parameter of interest may include one or more of: an average fetal heart rate, an average fetal heart rate variability, a fetal kick or movement count, an average placental oxygenation level, an average placental temperature, an average placental pH, an average amount of amniotic fluid, a fetal heart rate profile, a fetal heart rate variability profile, and a fetal movement profile.

A fetal heart rate monitor useful for locating and monitoring fetal heartbeat signal is disclosed. The fetal heart rate monitor may include: at least one Doppler transducer for acquiring said fetal heartbeat signal; at least one processor configured for processing data received from said at least one Doppler transducer and for determining whether the data is sufficient for acquiring and monitoring the fetal heartbeat signal and, if not sufficient, for providing guidance to a user to make location changes; and, at least one communication module for providing the guidance to the user. Said guidance may include guiding instructions to detect said fetal heartbeat signal according to feedback received from said at least one Doppler transducer and processed by said at least one processor and may further include verbal instructions comprising directions where to move the Doppler transducer on an abdomen of an expected mother.

Described herein is an apparatus to detect fetal acidosis during labor. This apparatus, which is noninvasive to the fetus, has a pH sensor and at least one fetal tissue detector. When the apparatus is inserted into the vaginal canal of a patient during labor, the pH reading determined by the pH sensor correlates to the pH of the fetus's blood. The fetal tissue detector may be a pulse oximeter, which may allow for a user to obtain the pulse rate reading of a surface contacted by the pH sensor. This pulse rate reading may be compared to an external reading of a pulse rate of the patient to confirm whether the pH sensor is contacting the fetus. During travel through the vaginal canal, the pH sensor may be protected by a protective sheath with an area of weakness to allow exposure of the pH sensor when the fetus is reached.

A fetal movement measuring device includes a detection unit and a smart device. The detection unit is selected from elastic materials and is attachable to an abdomen of a pregnant woman. The detection unit includes multiple branch sections extending outward therefrom. Each of the branch sections includes a fetal movement sensor and an electrode patch. The fetal movement sensor and the electrode patch are connected to a main circuit board to transmit an abdominal dynamic physiological signal detected by the fetal movement sensor and a fetal electrocardiographic signal detected by the electrode patch to the main circuit board. The smart device is operable to receive the abdominal dynamic physiological signal and the fetal electrocardiographic signal from the main circuit board and includes a fetal movement algorithm program that calculates and generates fetal movement data and the fetal heart rate.

The invention provides a fetal position monitoring system, comprising an abdominal belt or a glove comprising a force and/or deformation sensor arrangement for obtaining resistance information of a plurality of local areas of the abdomen in response to an applied pressure. A data analysis processor interprets the resistance information to derive a fetal position and/or fetal size and optionally also fetal movement and an output is provided giving a representation of the fetal position and/or fetal size and optionally also fetal movement.

This system provides a way of generating an output of the fetal position or size which requires minimum medical knowledge of the user, and it may be used at home.

A living body state estimation apparatus acquires information indicating a state of a living body. The living body state estimation apparatus is configured to include an electrocardiogram signal acquisition unit which acquires an electrocardiogram signal of the living body and an information acquisition unit which acquires a parameter as the information, the parameter specifying a predetermined function indicating a probability distribution for a reference wave interval which is a time interval between peaks of consecutive predetermined reference waves in the acquired electrocardiogram signal.