LMS to Present Statistical Methods for Detecting Fetal Distress During Labor at International Conferences
August 31 2006 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
MONTREAL, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LMS Medical Systems
(AMEX:LMZ; TSX:LMZ), a healthcare technology company and developer
of the CALM(TM) clinical information system and risk management
software tools for obstetrics, today announced that the Company
would present its statistical methods of detecting fetus' tolerance
to labor and research for noise suppression for fetal monitoring
interpretation at two major medical engineering conferences.
Although childbirth is a natural process and outcomes are generally
good, approximately 1-7 in 1,000 babies experience sufficient
oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) during labor to cause brain injury or
death. Multiple reviews of such cases suggest that up to 50% of the
most severe injuries are associated with preventable medical
errors, frequently centering on incorrect interpretation of the
fetal heart rate (FHR) recording. The goal of research led by
Philip Warrick, M. Eng, LMS' senior medical research engineer, was
to create an objective method of assessing FHR patterns in order to
reduce the incidence and severity of birth related brain damage.
The research focuses on innovative techniques to characterize the
fetal heart rate response to contractions in order to better
discriminate between healthy and distressed fetuses during labor.
Hypoxic injury can affect newborns for the rest of their lives and
results in billions of dollars of medical liability being paid out
to families each year in North America. Presentation of Mr.
Warrick's paper entitled "Linear models of intrapartum uterine
pressure-FHR interaction for the normal and hypoxic fetus" will
take place at the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
Annual conference, on Sunday, September 3, 2006 in New York City.
The mother's contractions can reduce blood flow in the placenta and
lessen oxygen delivery to the fetus. The baby's response is
reflected in the fetal monitor tracing. Changes in FHR levels are
detected and categorized by the model. A second paper,
"System-Identification Noise Suppression for Intra-Partum
Cardiotocography to Discriminate Normal and Hypoxic Fetuses"
extends his previous research on the relationship between uterine
pressure and the FHR. Fetal monitoring read-outs naturally include
noise and other disturbances that have a negative impact on
interpretation. His mathematical model is designed to compensate
for or suppress this noise. This enhancement will allow for better
clinical assessment of fetal tolerance to labor. Mr. Warrick will
present this paper at the Computers in Cardiology conference,
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at the Polytechnic University of
Valencia, Valencia, Spain. LMS risk management tools incorporate
statistical processes to quantify normal and abnormal labor
progression as well as digital signal processing and neural network
applications for the identification of abnormal FHR patterns. These
tools address the most common themes found in adverse outcomes and
litigation in obstetrics. The risk management software suite, which
is the subject of 30 patents and patents pending includes: CALM
Curve(TM) - for consistent and objective assessment of the labor
progress at the bedside CALM Patterns(TM) - for real-time
measurement and classification of FHR patterns CALM Shoulder
Screen(TM) - for the assessment of the risk of shoulder dystocia
before the onset of labor About LMS: LMS is a leader in the
application of advanced mathematical modeling and neural networks
for medical use. The LMS CALM(TM) Decision Support Suite provides
physicians, nursing staff, risk managers and hospital
administrators with clinical information systems and risk
management tools designed to improve outcomes and patient care for
mothers and their infants during labor and delivery. About IEEE
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society conference At this
year's IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 28th
international annual conference offers a platform for presenters to
offer their vision for "revolutions in biomedical sciences". For
more information about the IEEE EMBC 2006 conference please see:
http://embc2006.njit.edu/index.php About Computers in Cardiology
conference The international Computers in Cardiology conference
provides a forum for scientific presentations focusing on
interdisciplinary computer applications in cardiology and
cardiovascular research. For more information about the Computers
in Cardiology 2006 conference please see:
http://www.cinc2006.upv.es/ DATASOURCE: LMS MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC.
CONTACT: about LMS Medical Systems please contact: Andrea Miller,
Communications, LMS Medical Systems Inc., (514) 488-3461, Ext. 222,
Fax: (514) 488-1880, ; http://www.lmsmedical.com/; David Gordon /
Grant Howard, The Howard Group Inc., Toll Free: 1-888-221-0915, ;
http://www.howardgroupinc.com/
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