There is a maternal morbidity crisis in the U.S. We need to do better. As a seasoned Labor and Delivery Nurse for 20 years I identified a way to positively impact this sobering statistic.

Reducing the number of primary c-sections in low risk pregnancies is an approach I have been working on since 2011. I co- invented a novel fetal monitoring device that could allow more women to deliver their first child without surgical intervention. 

The basic concept is to provide more accurate fetal monitoring during labor that enables freedom of movement for the laboring patient. 

Too often I witnessed continuous monitoring to be not only inaccurate in determining fetal well being, but also very uncomfortable for the patient as it often required the patient to lie still in bed. Moreover, due to the inaccuracy, decisions to proceed with a c-section birth have sky rocketed in the U.S. in some states the primary c-section rate is as high as 60%.

We need to reduce c-sections because they carry greater risks to mother and baby which factors into our being the most dangerous country to give birth among all developed countries. C-sections pose the risks of hemorrhage, blood clots, infection, and newborn complications. 

I have taken my invention as far as I can, and 25,000.00 would enable me to make a working prototype and begin servicing the lives of our most vulnerable population.

Our solution is a (pre-prototype) wearable and wireless ultrasound patch co-invented by a labor and delivery nurse and the former Director of the Biomaterials Institute at Syracuse University (patented November 2017). This dermal patch will be equipped with a 3 MHz Doppler ultrasound transducer and sensor that will provide more accurate fetal well being surveillance during labor. The device will be remotely activated or deactivated, allowing the patient to move freely. It will include software to record and analyze fetal heart rate patterns during contractions based on the protocols set by the American College of OB/GYN.

Our target market is focused on preventing primary c-sections among low-risk pregnancies. With approximately 3.5 million births annually in the U.S., it is estimated that nearly 900 thousand are performed through c-sections (based on a 26.3% cesarean rate among low-risk groups in 2022). By making intermittent auscultation wearable and more accurate, we believe we can significantly reduce this number.

Our patent (US 9,820,718 B2) for an Enhanced Electronic External Fetal Monitoring System was granted on November 21, 2017, and is held by Syracuse University. The freedom to operate to develop the device was confirmed by a Technology and Market Analysis Report generated by the Innovation Law Center at Syracuse University. Currently, we are researching to create a proof-of-concept prototype and offer licensing opportunities to established fetal monitor manufacturers.