Reducing maternal and neonatal mortality through cutting-edge technology innovations
- Akankshya Mohanty
- Aug 12, 2024
- 5 min read
Introduction
The world has made remarkable progress in child survival in the past three decades, and it is a beacon of hope and optimism. This significant advancement is a testament to our collective efforts. Millions of children now have better survival chances than in 1990–1 in 27 died before age five in 2022, compared to 1 in 11 in 1990. This progress should instill a profound sense of optimism and hope for the future of maternal and child health, reassuring us that our efforts are making a tangible difference.
According to a report by UNICEF, in 2022, 4.9 million children under five years of age died, and preterm birth and intrapartum-related complications remain a leading cause of maternal and child death. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that a woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy, and globally, the number of deaths due to it stands at 287,000 in 2020. This underscores the urgent need for improved maternal and child health care. The maternal mortality rate is 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021, with nearly 46% of all deaths happening during labor or the first 24 hours after birth. Severe bleeding, high blood pressure, complications from unsafe abortion, etc, are the leading causes of maternal deaths.
Reducing mortality remains one of the most pressing global health challenges. It underscores the urgent need to ensure every woman has access to pregnancy-related health services before, during, and after childbirth. The fact that these are all largely preventable and treatable with access to quality healthcare underscores the urgent need for improved healthcare access.
India accounts for nearly 25 million births annually, 20% of the world’s births. Maternal Mortality Ratio of India stands at 103/ 100,000 live births as of 2020.
Major Challenges
Ending preventable maternal deaths and providing access to quality maternal health care requires sustained efforts and unwavering commitments. No mother should have to fear for her life while bringing a baby into the world, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every mother survives childbirth so that she and her children can thrive.
Despite the considerable progress, the urgency to improve child survival is a matter of immediate concern. It calls for our collective responsibility and swift action, as every moment counts in saving the lives of our future generations. This urgency should prompt us to take immediate and effective action to improve child survival rates, making us all aware of the pressing need for change.
Some of the significant challenges that need to be addressed on war footing, and where your role is crucial, are:
Hemorrhage or severe bleeding during or after childbirth, a leading cause of maternal death, is often the result of inadequate monitoring and timely care during Labor.
Infections, largely preventable, result from poor care, hygiene, and delayed diagnosis.
Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia are blood pressure-related complications that can cause miscarriages and cause seizures and organ damage, often due to inadequate monitoring of maternal health and delayed medical intervention.
Obstructed Labor due to the baby’s position or size due to lack of early detection and intervention.
Premature Birth & low birth weight: babies born before 37 weeks face higher health risks. Malnutrition during pregnancy often leads to low birth weight of the child, which poses a risk post-childbirth.
Birth Asphyxia is one of the dangers that are a result of Failure to monitor and manage fetal distress during Labor, highlighting the need for better vigilance.
Congenital Anomalies, as a result of various factors, including genetic disorders, often go unnoticed due to lack of awareness.
Advancements in Technology
The imperative to enhance child survival underscores the pivotal role of computer technology in driving innovations in this field. Artificial intelligence (AI), Robots, Sensors, Intrapartum Maternal/Fetal Monitor, etc., are among the rapidly evolving technologies revolutionizing precision fertility care. These advanced technologies offer novel solutions that enhance patient experiences and enable expected mothers to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Time-lapse embryo imaging continuously captures images of embryos over several days, providing valuable insights into their growth, morphology, and developmental potential. By observing embryos in real-time, embryologists can select the most suitable embryos to consider, minimizing the risk of multiple pregnancies.
AI algorithms can analyze various types of data, including embryo morphology and time-lapse imaging, to predict embryos with the highest potential for successful pregnancy. This data-driven approach can significantly improve embryo selection accuracy, leading to a successful delivery.
AI can analyze patient data, including medical history, genetic information, and previous pregnancy outcomes, to identify mothers at high risk of recurrent pregnancy loss. This risk assessment can guide personalized treatment strategies and prevent the risk of miscarriages.
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus, endometrium, grows outside the uterus. It is a common cause of infertility, making it harder for females to get pregnant. AI can analyze pelvic ultrasound images to detect endometriosis. Accurate diagnosis and early detection can facilitate early intervention. Approximately 5,00,000 children are born through IVF globally each year. To make it more widely available, the IVF process needs to be automated. The potential of automation, such as the nurturing of embryos, to lead to radical innovations, such as gene editing or artificial wombs, is truly inspiring and opens up a world of possibilities in reproductive health. Despite significant development, some doctors remain skeptical about robots replacing embryologists anytime soon. Overture (https://www.overture.life/), a health tech startup, has opened up new possibilities — a ground-breaking development towards automating in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This technology is shaping the future of IVF, resolving complications such as endometriosis, a genetic disease of the mother or father, problems with ovulation, and antibody problems that harm sperm or eggs, resulting in human infertility.
AI-powered virtual assistants can provide expecting mothers with personalized fertility education, support, and guidance. They can answer questions, address concerns, and connect patients with relevant resources. AI can monitor patients remotely during fertility treatments, track medication adherence, symptom progression, and treatment outcomes, improve patient care, and reduce unnecessary hospital visits.
Patients expect more during their labor and birthing experience. It is also equally important to monitor the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Empowering caregivers and patients with a solution will be a significant innovation in controlling mortality. Caregivers can use these technologies to monitor the health of the mother and fetus by understanding and interpreting the data.
Technologies like the Wireless Patch System, an intrapartum Maternal/Fetal Monitor, are designed with precision and accuracy. They can non-invasively measure and display fetal heart rate, maternal heart rate, and uterine activity. These tools acquire and display the fetal heart rate tracing from abdominal surface electrodes that pick up the fetal ECG signal. Refer to Novii Wireless Patch System from GE Healthcare.
Conclusion
The technological research marks a significant stride forward in enhancing maternal and newborn safety, setting the stage for notable advancements in diagnosis and treatment.
The promise of these developments lies in the potential to revolutionize maternal and newborn healthcare globally. The synergy of seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies and personalizing care to individual needs can lead to a future where maternal and child health outcomes are significantly improved. This is not just a possibility but a hopeful reality on the horizon, where fetal-maternal monitoring transcends its current boundaries to become more universally accessible, inspiring us with the potential of technological advancements in healthcare.
The path forward is one of relentless innovation, leading to a future where fetal-maternal monitoring transcends its current boundaries to become more universally accessible.
References
GE Healthcare
UNICEF
WHO
The same article is also available at Akankshya Mohanty's Medium.com site.
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