Overview
- Northwestern researchers report the first device to continuously track multiple fetal vital signs inside the uterus, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
- The filamentary probe, about three times the width of a human hair, fits through standard fetoscopic ports without additional incisions.
- Integrated sensors measure heart rate, heart-rate variability, blood oxygen saturation, and temperature, transmitting data wirelessly in real time.
- In large-animal models, the system delivered clinical‑grade readings despite fetal and uterine motion and detected bradycardia, hypoxia, and hypothermia.
- The project, led by John A. Rogers with fetal surgeon Aimen Shaaban, targets a longstanding monitoring gap in minimally invasive fetal surgery and remains preclinical pending trials and regulatory review.