Babalung Apnea Monitor

CATEGORY: Health

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We have designed a $25 battery-powered monitor to detect apnea of prematurity in the developing world, automatically stir afflicted infants to breathe properly, and log respiratory data using Bluetooth transmission.

Standings & Awards

422 out of 422 in North America
284 out of 284 in Health
935 out of 935 in Design
1066 out of 1066 in Blended
4003 out of 4003 Overall

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Team Breath Alert

12 million babies are born prematurely to malnourished mothers each year; half will stop breathing at night.

Apnea is common in premature infants, who often lack the muscular development to breathe correctly on their own. Maternal malnutrition is a major risk factor for premature delivery, and nearly half of 12 million premature babies born in developing countries experience apneic episodes. Monitors used in hospitals the United States are power-intensive and extraordinarily expensive, leaving primary health care centers in the developing world relying on nurses to keep vigil. Major cost, power, and personnel constraints in these settings motivated a desire to develop a simple way to tackle this problem at a ward-based level with the dual purpose of easing the burden on overworked healthcare professionals.

We have constructed a durable prototype capable of detecting apnea in premature infants for under $25, without reliance on a constant power supply. In addition, our device includes a stimulatory element intended to automatically stir the baby out of the apneic episode without professional intervention. At present, we are optimizing our software components and looking towards utilizing mobile integration to track vital signs.

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation?

The modification central to our vital signs monitor is an automated treatment response to irregular breathing. Respiratory distress in premature infants usually results from neurological underdevelopment; our light vibration system activates a more conscious response, comparable to the current treatment of having a nurse tap the foot. Our combination of diagnosis, treatment, and data collection saves lives while conserving the valuable time of nursing staffs strained far beyond capacity.

2. Who gains the most?

Infants who suffer regular, undetected oxygen deprivation early in life pay extensively later on. Typically faced with mental underdevelopment ("failure to thrive") and associated socioeconomic costs, they are also at higher risk for heart failure and SIDS. Monitoring with our device will prevent these symptoms. Nurses may fill out pages of false data because they simply don't have time to check patients; automatic logging will ease this burden while providing doctors diagnostic with confidence.

3. Who pays?

While the monitor is a low-cost solution to the complete lack of hospital monitors in the developing world, it also is a marked improvement on home monitors for purchase in the United States. We will implement a "one-for-one" sales model: after gaining a foothold abroad with the assistance of university partners, expansion will be funded by domestic purchases. In addition to peace of mind about the health of their infant, domestic users are purchasing a sense of social conscience.

4. What is your success?

We hope to begin initial field tests abroad in May 2012 at hospitals in Malawi, Lesotho, and Botswana with which Rice has established relationships. Each of these is run by a different nonprofit; at 12 months, we will have incorporated feedback from field tests and expanded to include other hospitals run by each nonprofit. Data collection for a clinical trial will be completed within 3 years, and at 5 years we hope to expand beyond respiratory data to include comprehensive infant vital tracking.

5. How will you do it?

Taking advantage of constantly growing wireless data transfer in difficult locations is one of our keys to success: this aspect of our project has the most potential for expansion beyond the initial product. Establishing a market in the developed world as a home monitoring system provides a consistent revenue stream to fund our hospital branch abroad, and collaborating with established nonprofits - particularly those with strong in-country delivery systems - will help us reach those in need.