Scientists have developed a wearable ultrasound patch, called UPatch, that could transform pregnancy care by providing continuous monitoring of a developing fetus without the need for a handheld device or sonographer.
Developed by researchers at UC San Diego, Stanford, and Oxford, UPatch sticks to the abdomen and autonomously measures fetal anatomy and blood flow, providing real-time data on head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur length.
In a clinical trial with 62 pregnancies, the patch performed on par with traditional ultrasound. In one case, it detected dangerous blood flow changes signaling preeclampsia, leading to an emergency C-section four days later.
The patch can monitor patients for up to six hours while they rest, and could expand access to prenatal imaging in underserved areas lacking trained sonographers.