Monitor gives hope for stillbirths

A new baby heartbeat monitor could prevent hundreds of stillbirths a year, a charity has claimed.

The device, which is the size of a mobile phone and can be worn 24 hours a day by expectant mothers, monitors an unborn baby's heartbeat.

It is currently undergoing clinical trials in Europe, with one trial starting at King's College London in June. If the monitor proves a success, it could be available in the UK from September.

Action Medical Research, which helped fund development of the Monica AN24 monitor, hopes it will cut the number of stillbirths. A new report has warned that the stillbirth rate has not fallen since the early 1990s despite advances in medical treatment.

Just over one in 200 pregnancies ends in stillbirth and around one in 300 babies die in the first month after birth. The monitor is initially being targeted at women who have previously had a stillbirth or have a condition that could threaten the pregnancy, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Doctors Barrie Hayes-Gill, Jean Francois Pieri and John Crowe from the University of Nottingham have been developing the monitor for more than 15 years.

The device also provides doctors with information on the functioning of the mother's heart as well as how the foetus is lying in the womb.

Professor Jim Thornton, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at City Hospital in Nottingham, said: "Since the Monica device is completely non-invasive, it will offer mothers continuous reassurance about their babies.

"It is likely that the ability to monitor the baby's heartbeat in a safe and continuous manner will prove a useful tool for mothers at risk of stillbirth."

Dr Yolande Harley, research manager at Action Medical Research, said: "We have supported this project for more than eight years and feel it could make a substantial difference to the many people who may have lost babies in the past and can't bear to have it happen again."

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