The newborn delivery room of tomorrow: emerging and future technologies

Abstract

Advances in neonatal care have resulted in improved outcomes for high-risk newborns with technologies playing a significant part although many were developed for the neonatal intensive care unit. The care provided in the delivery room (DR) during the first few minutes of life can impact short- and long-term neonatal outcomes. Increasingly, technologies have a critical role to play in the DR particularly with monitoring and information provision. However, the DR is a unique environment and has major challenges around the period of foetal to neonatal transition that need to be overcome when developing new technologies. This review focuses on current DR technologies as well as those just emerging and further over the horizon. We identify what key opinion leaders in DR care think of current technologies, what the important DR measures are to them, and which technologies might be useful in the future. We link these with key technologies including respiratory function monitors, electoral impedance tomography, videolaryngoscopy, augmented reality, video recording, eye tracking, artificial intelligence, and contactless monitoring. Encouraging funders and industry to address the unique technological challenges of newborn care in the DR will allow the continued improvement of outcomes of high-risk infants from the moment of birth. Impact Technological advances for newborn delivery room care require consideration of the unique environment, the variable patient characteristics, and disease states, as well as human factor challenges. Neonatology as a speciality has embraced technology, allowing its rapid progression and improved outcomes for infants, although innovation in the delivery room often lags behind that in the intensive care unit. Investing in new and emerging technologies can support healthcare providers when optimising care and could improve training, safety, and neonatal outcomes.

Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Imaging Replaces Bedside Imaging in Diagnosing Pneumonia in Infants

“…If the two conditions vary in any way, a ventilator configuration adjustment event is triggered, and the administrator is prompted to acknowledge the change. (Figure 5) explains the value of the derived Equation (5). The results show that NBBP-IMC has a high predictive value compared to an existing method.…”

“…P denotes the value of the prediction variable with curable function for lung illness; the parameter data points Pði Þ for the most recent i seconds for the breathing value were found in equation (5). The averaged ∑i quantity was then contrasted to the user-specified PðiÞ beginning value.…”

“…Prenatal medicine and foam supplementation that have increased lifespan have not lowered the prevalence among survivors. Antioxidants and the prevention of artificial breathing among NB with other improvements that have enhanced the combined outcome of life, have had lower quantitative benefits on the results [ 5 ]. Postnatal steroids are helpful, but the ideal formulation, dosing, and time have yet to be found for increasing use and minimizing risk [ 6 ].…”

Mothers’ acceptability of using novel technology with video and audio recording during newborn resuscitation: A cross-sectional survey

“…Over the past several decades, emerging technology in the delivery room and newborn care has played a significant role in improving clinical outcomes of high-risk newborns [ 35 ]. In particular, video recording technology has been used to record newborn resuscitations for data documentation, performance audit and education purposes to identify frequent deviations from the international guidelines and to train and improve HCPs’ performances on newborn resuscitation [ 36 , 37 ].…”

Editorial: Future medical education in pediatrics and neonatology

“…Future training approaches often utilize new technology or media (feedback devices, ultrasound, eye-tracking, augmented reality, video recording, 3D printing) compared to traditional training strategies or methods. These technologies are used and discussed for training and integration in clinical settings for real-time assessment ( 8 ). The utilization of video recording is an excellent example of how technology can be used to record simulations or real clinical situations for clinical education and research.…”