METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING THE CONDITION OF A FETUS

摘要

A method and an apparatus for monitoring the condition of a fetus to assess a degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition are provided. A signal indicative of a fetal heart is processed to derive a degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition. The degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition indicates a likelihood that the condition of the fetus belongs to a class in a group of classes, where the classes in the group of classes are associated with pre-defined fetal conditions characterized by a measure of base deficit and a presence or absence of new-born encephalopathy. Data conveying the degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition is then released. In one example, a neural network is used to obtain data conveying a likelihood that the condition of the fetus belongs to a class in the group of classes.