A multi-sensor patch for simultaneous abdominal monitoring of maternal and fetal physiological data includes a multi-layer flexible substrate. The multi-layer flexible substrate includes a center region and a plurality of electrode regions. An electrode of the plurality of electrodes is located in each of the electrode regions. At least one auxiliary sensor which may be an optical sensor. A module unit is connected to the conductive layer at the center region. The module unit is configured to receive biopotential physiological data from the plurality of electrodes and photosignal data from the optical sensor. The module unit calculates at least fetal heart rate (fHR), maternal heart rate (mHR), and uterine activity (UA) from the biopotential physiological data and fHR, mHR, and SpO2 from the photosignal data.

A multi-sensor patch for simultaneous abdominal monitoring of maternal and fetal physiological data includes a multi-layer flexible substrate. The multi-layer flexible substrate includes a center region and a plurality of electrode regions. An electrode of the plurality of electrodes is located in each of the electrode regions. At least one auxiliary sensor which may be an optical sensor. A module unit is connected to the conductive layer at the center region. The module unit is configured to receive biopotential physiological data from the plurality of electrodes and photosignal data from the optical sensor. The module unit calculates at least fetal heart rate (fHR), maternal heart rate (mHR), and uterine activity (UA) from the biopotential physiological data and fHR, mHR, and SpO2 from the photosignal data.

A multi-sensor patch for simultaneous abdominal monitoring of maternal and fetal physiological data includes a multi-layer flexible substrate. The multi-layer flexible substrate includes a center region and a plurality of electrode regions. An electrode of the plurality of electrodes is located in each of the electrode regions. At least one auxiliary sensor which may be an optical sensor. A module unit is connected to the conductive layer at the center region. The module unit is configured to receive biopotential physiological data from the plurality of electrodes and photosignal data from the optical sensor. The module unit calculates at least fetal heart rate (fHR), maternal heart rate (mHR), and uterine activity (UA) from the biopotential physiological data and fHR, mHR, and SpO2 from the photosignal data.

A method of sensing the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation of a maternal patient and a fetal patient can include obtaining maternal electrocardiogram (mECG) data and fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) data with a plurality of electrodes. The method can also include obtaining photosignal data with an optical sensor, the photosignal data including a maternal photosignal component and a fetal photosignal component. Additionally, the method can include applying mECG to the photosignal data to calculate maternal photoplesthograph (mPPG) data, applying the mPPG to the photosignal data to remove the maternal photosignal component from the photosignal data, and applying the fECG to remaining photosignal data to calculate fetal photoplesthograph (fPPG) data.

A method of sensing the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation of a maternal patient and a fetal patient can include obtaining maternal electrocardiogram (mECG) data and fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) data with a plurality of electrodes. The method can also include obtaining photosignal data with an optical sensor, the photosignal data including a maternal photosignal component and a fetal photosignal component. Additionally, the method can include applying mECG to the photosignal data to calculate maternal photoplesthograph (mPPG) data, applying the mPPG to the photosignal data to remove the maternal photosignal component from the photosignal data, and applying the fECG to remaining photosignal data to calculate fetal photoplesthograph (fPPG) data.

An adhesive hydrogel has low contact resistance against the body surface and excellent conformability and adhesiveness to the body surface, so that noise generation can be reduced. Such adhesive hydrogel enables measurements of weak fetal heart rate signals. The adhesive hydrogel includes a polymer matrix prepared by crosslinking-copolymerization of an acrylamide derivative, which is a nonionic polymerizable monomer including a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond in a molecule, and polyfunctional (meth)acrylamide, which is a crosslinkable monomer comprising 2 or more polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds in a molecule, water, a polyvalent alcohol, and an electrolyte salt, wherein a laminate of the adhesive hydrogel with an Ag/AgCl sheet exhibits the impedance of 1Ω to 100Ω at the frequency of 0.1 Hz measured in accordance with the method of ANSI/AAMI EC12:2000, and the dynamic elastic modulus G′ at the frequency of 1 Hz measured at 25° C. and dispersed frequencies is 1.0×10.sup.3 Pa to 1.0×10.sup.4 Pa.

An adhesive hydrogel has low contact resistance against the body surface and excellent conformability and adhesiveness to the body surface, so that noise generation can be reduced. Such adhesive hydrogel enables measurements of weak fetal heart rate signals. The adhesive hydrogel includes a polymer matrix prepared by crosslinking-copolymerization of an acrylamide derivative, which is a nonionic polymerizable monomer including a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond in a molecule, and polyfunctional (meth)acrylamide, which is a crosslinkable monomer comprising 2 or more polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds in a molecule, water, a polyvalent alcohol, and an electrolyte salt, wherein a laminate of the adhesive hydrogel with an Ag/AgCl sheet exhibits the impedance of 1Ω to 100Ω at the frequency of 0.1 Hz measured in accordance with the method of ANSI/AAMI EC12:2000, and the dynamic elastic modulus G′ at the frequency of 1 Hz measured at 25° C. and dispersed frequencies is 1.0×10.sup.3 Pa to 1.0×10.sup.4 Pa.

An abdominal electrocardiogram processing system for determining a fetal heart rate of a fetus in a pregnant woman obtains a combined electrocardiogram measurement of a maternal heart rate and a fetal heart rate. The system then transforms the combined electrocardiogram measurement into a wavelet domain to create a combined electrocardiogram measurement wavelet transform. The system can then remove the maternal heart rate from the combined electrocardiogram measurement wavelet transform. The system then identifies a fetal heart rate from the compensated combined electrocardiogram measurement wavelet transform.

An abdominal electrocardiogram processing system for determining a fetal heart rate of a fetus in a pregnant woman obtains a combined electrocardiogram measurement of a maternal heart rate and a fetal heart rate. The system then transforms the combined electrocardiogram measurement into a wavelet domain to create a combined electrocardiogram measurement wavelet transform. The system can then remove the maternal heart rate from the combined electrocardiogram measurement wavelet transform. The system then identifies a fetal heart rate from the compensated combined electrocardiogram measurement wavelet transform.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for an apparatus, computer-accessible medium, system and method for detection, analysis and use of fetal heart rate and movement. In accordance with certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an exemplary system can include: at least one electrocardiogram sensor providing first signals or information regarding the at least one subject; a plurality of inertial measurement units providing second signals or information regarding the at least one subject; a plurality of acoustic sensors providing third signals or information regarding the at least one subject; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine data regarding the fetal heart rate based on the first, second and third signals or information.