Spectroscope for newborns at the Institute of Pediatrics

Predicting the development of the disease 1-2 days earlier and preventing the child from becoming disabled with cerebral palsy, deafness or blindness is the goal of the infrared spectrometer (NIRS), for which we are collecting funds for the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology. This Institute* is the last resort for pregnant women in extremely difficult cases from all Ukraine. 

Many complex diseases in newborns develop in the first hours of life. Early detection of signs of these diseases and early intervention by doctors can save a child from a difficult life and a long stay in hospitals. Currently, doctors of the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology establish correct diagnoses, relying on their experience and data from widely used diagnostic devices, which give rather rough estimates. For example, the Institute uses ultrasound to approximate blood flow in the vessels of the central nervous system, but doctors cannot determine blood oxygen saturation in a specific organ. With the advent of new equipment, doctors will be able to predict the development of diseases and prevent them, which is better than treating them later. 

At the request of the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, we are collecting funds for the SenSmart X100 device, which is a near-infrared spectroscope (NIRS) that analyzes the oxygen saturation of the tissues of various organs and allows us to predict the possible development of diseases that occur due to oxygen starvation. In particular, it is cerebral palsy, hearing and vision defects. 

Such a device is already working in the Volyn regional perinatal center and plays an important role in operations on newborn babies. Lutsk hospital doctors say that during the operation, the NIRS device warned the surgeons in advance about the deterioration of the nutrition of certain parts of the brain, although the device that measures the total oxygen saturation of the blood showed acceptable values. 

*Full name of the medical institution: State Institution "UKRAINIAN CENTER OF МATERNITY AND CHILDHOOD OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES OF UKRAINE", (formerly known as State Institution "Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology named after academician O. Lukyanova of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine").