Method and apparatus monitoring the progress of labor
AssigneeUltra-Guide Ltd.
InventorYoav Paltieli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of monitoring the progress of labor in a mother during childbirth, by attaching a position sensor to a predetermined point on the mother's pelvic bones; monitoring the location of the position sensor in three- dimensional space relative to a reference; and monitoring the location of the fetal presenting part with respect to the predetermined point on the mother's pelvic bones. The location of the fetal presenting part may be indicated by a similar position sensor, or by imaging. Other conditions, such as effacement, cervical dilatation, and cervical position may also be monitored in a similar manner.
Claims36
A method of monitoring a progress of labor in a mother during childbirth, comprising:
- attaching a first position sensor to a predetermined point on the mother's pelvic bone;
- monitoring a location of said first position sensor in three-dimensional space relative to a reference location, and
- monitoring the location of a fetal presenting part with respect to said predetermined point on pelvic bones of the mother to provide an indication of the progress of labor.
An apparatus for monitoring a progress of labor, comprising:
- at least one first position sensor provided for an attachment to a predetermined point on the mother's pelvic bones, and producing a first output signal identifying its location in space;
- means for sensing a location of a fetal presenting part with respect to said predetermined point on the mother's pelvic bones, and producing a second output signal identifying the location of said fetal presenting part;
- a computer in operative communication with said at least one first position sensor and said sensing means to receive said first and second output signals corresponding to the position of said at least one first position sensor and said location of said fetal presenting part;
- and
- an output device controlled by said computer for outputting the position of said fetal presenting part with respect to said predetermined point of the mother's pelvic bones.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.