Location: St Louis, Missouri, USA
Customer: BrainZ Instruments Ltd.
Introduction
St Louis Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington, St Louis, have created a leading research centre for the study of neurological development in neonates. It is difficult to supply adequate long-term monitoring for infant patients, particularly since existing devices have not been designed adequately to meet the particular needs of neonate care. A specialized mobile monitor is necessary and it must be easy to use by doctors and nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 24 hours, everyday.
Solution
About four in every thousand live births world wide result in neonates that suffer various kinds of encephalopathy. Early diagnosis is essential to help anticipate complications and treat infants right after they are born. The BRM3 monitor was developed to help conduct clinical research from October 2007 by St. Louis clinicians. The monitor system is intended to help professionals make timely decisions about the care of neonates with suspected neurological developmental problems caused by complications before, during or immediately after birth.
Figure 1: Research Fellow Russell Lawrence operating the BRM3 at St Louis Children's Hospital.
System
To construct the BRM3, the Advantech POC123M/POC-125 was mounted on a medical roll poll for convenient portability around the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A data acquisition unit (DAU) connects Brainz Instruments EEG electrodes to the POC123M/POC-125 via USB cable. The system runs specially developed software written by Brainz Instruments and displays the process while storing the EEG data simultaneously.
Benefits:
n Light and compact easy to use in a crowded NICU.
n The graphics are clear and allow rapid reviewing of the patient’s EEG data at the bedside.
Provide high quality information available 24 hour a day.
Figure 2: BRM3 Monitor