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Hohenstein to develop artificial womb for premature babies

06 Jun '14

4 min read

With this "smart textile", the researchers from the Hohenstein department of Hygiene, Environment & Medicine are for the first time taking a new approach to treatments to prevent problems with the sensory-motor development of premature babies. To put the product concept into practice, the researchers, led by Prof. Dr. Dirk Höfer, are working with partners from industry, Beluga-Tauchsport GmbH (Scheeßel) and M. Zellner GmbH (Michelau in Upper Franconia).

It is expected that the project, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Industry, will result in the first prototype of an artificial uterus with motor and acoustic textile actuators being produced as early as next year, ready to be tested in practice by neonatal doctors specialising in the treatment of premature babies.

Thanks to modern medical technology, premature babies can survive from the 22nd week of pregnancy. For many premature babies, respirators, heartbeat monitors and pumps infusing fluids, nutrients and medication are their first experience of the world.

Until now, the spatial confinement and sensory stimuli that they miss from the uterus have not been available in incubators, meaning that important treatment time is lost. This can often lead to sensory and motor deficiencies requiring treatment during the child's later development.

The mother's heartbeat is also important. The sound of the heart beating in the womb gives the foetus a feeling of security and safety. Because the amniotic fluid stops the eardrum from vibrating, the foetus experiences sound almost exclusively through bone conduction. This acts like a frequency modulator on the resonance characteristics, affecting the pitch and intensity of sounds, so this must also be taken into account in the proposed product.

It is hoped that an artificial uterus will give premature babies in incubators the same sensory stimuli and sense of security that they experience in their mother's womb. Scientists at the Hohenstein Institute are working with project partners from industry to develop a system providing this kind of therapy.

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