Development of low-cost optical wearable for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) detection in low- and high-resource settings.
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality globally, and is also noted as one of the most preventable causes of maternal death . Current PPH diagnosis is determined by visual estimation of blood loss, which underestimates volume and cannot capture concealed bleeding, or vital sign analysis of shock index (ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure). Shock index indicators are delayed due to compensatory changes that stabilize hemodynamics until hemorrhage is massive, beyond the point of pharmaceutical intervention. To address this need we are developing optical tools to measure blood loss compensation mechanisms. The goals of these projects are to develop a wearable, low-cost, noninvasive, systems that provides real-time data to inform early clinical decision making for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).
Short-wave infrared photoplethysmography for early detection of PPH
A second compensatory mechanism that occurs in response to blood loss is water from interstitial space entering the blood stream to maintain blood volume. This process causes a decrease in the hemoglobin-to-water ratio, called hemodilution. In order to provide early diagnosis and monitoring of PPH, we are developing a wearable short-wave infrared (SWIR) photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to detect and monitor hemodilution during PPH. This project will hopefully alert doctors to provide medical intervention earlier, and provide a non-invasive diagnostic device that minimizes skin pigmentation bias caused by melanin.
Raman spectroscopy to explore cervical changes during pregnancy.
Early pregnancy failure, the leading complication in the first trimester of pregnancy, lacks comprehensive understanding and effective diagnostic tools. The uterine cervix is an organ with understudied potential in offering diagnostic insights into early pregnancy failure as well as infertility.The cervix undergoes dynamic structural and biochemical changes influenced by hormonal fluctuations, and exploring these changes during the ovarian cycle and early pregnancy may reveal biomarkers for early pregnancy failure and infertility. Raman Spectroscopy (RS) emerges as a non-invasive solution, having successfully monitored cervical changes in later pregnancy stages. The goals of this project are to use RS to detect early pregnancy cervical changes, offer a novel diagnostic tool for distinguishing normal from abnormal pregnancies, explain hormonal causes of infertility, and provide real-time support for clinicians.