WANABIDII, Gmail
JOHANNESBURG,
South-Africa, October 3, 2014/ -- Royal Philips (AEX: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) (http://www.philips.com),
today announced a partnership with South Africa based not-for-profit
organization, PET (PowerFree Education Technology) (http://www.pet.org.za), to
further develop, test and commercialize a Wind-up Doppler Ultrasound Fetal
Heart Rate Monitor (in short: Wind-up Fetal Doppler), a unique
power-independent clinical innovation aimed at addressing the high rates of
preventable infant mortality across Africa.
The Wind-up Fetal
Doppler is a device to easily and accurately count the fetal heart rate while
the mother is in labor. A slowing of this fetal heart rate towards the end of a
uterine contraction is an important indicator that a fetus is not receiving
enough oxygen and may suffer brain damage or die. If this is detected early enough,
a midwife or delivering nurse can take the necessary actions to save the child.
The Wind-up Fetal
Doppler will be commercialized by the Philips Africa Innovation Hub (http://goo.gl/M1xVBI), which is
the center for developing innovations “in Africa-for Africa” in the areas of
healthcare, lighting and healthy living. The Philips Africa Innovation Hub has
unveiled the first Philips prototype of the Wind-up Fetal Doppler, underpinning
their commitment to the partnership. The prototype is subject to clinical
testing and regulatory approval, before release for general usage.
Measuring fetal heart
rate - an important indicator of fetal health
Women and infants in
semi-urban and rural areas across Africa often die due to preventable
complications during child birth. Many infants, especially in under-resourced
settings die during labor or suffer brain injury due to an inadequate supply of
oxygen to the baby during the hours that the mother is in labor. Many of these
deaths could be prevented and cases of brain injury avoided, using a Doppler
ultrasound monitor that helps midwives and delivering nurses to monitor the
baby’s wellbeing during labor(1).
Current methods to
measure the fetal heart rate are either too expensive, too inaccurate or rely
on replaceable batteries or electricity to run; the Wind-up Fetal Doppler is
especially designed to empower midwives and delivering nurses to give better
care.
“It is very hard to do
an accurate measurement with a Pinard-stethoscope, because you need to be able
to hear the fetal heart well and count the rate correctly. It is often also
uncomfortable for the mother. A Doppler ultrasound fetal heart rate monitor is
a good solution, but the current monitors on the market require mains or
battery power, and are not robust enough.” states, Anneke Jagau (http://pet.org.za/about.php?view=3),
a midwife working for PET.
PET has been working
on the development of the hand cranked, Wind-up Fetal Doppler for many years,
and they verified the positive impact of the device in tests in Uganda (http://www.pet.org.za/media.php?node=11),
where 60% more cases of abnormal fetal heart rate were detected in labor,
compared to the standard Pinard-stethoscope.
Maarten van Herpen,
Head of the Philips Africa Innovation Hub, states: “Philips is open to
collaborations with key stakeholders, including governments and NGOs, to create
impactful innovations that matter to people and address the key challenges that
confront society. PET has invested many years in the development of this
important idea. I am honored that PET has chosen Philips as the company that is
best positioned to commercialize it and make it available across Africa”.
“We are very excited
about the collaboration with Philips”, said Dr Francois Bonnici, Director of
PET and Director of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation at the University of
Cape Town, “We chose to work with Philips because of a strong alignment on the
mission to improve people’s lives with meaningful innovation. As a market
leader in healthcare, Philips will be able to make our innovation available and
affordable for frontline health care workers across the African continent.”
Philips remains
consistently committed to reducing child mortality and improving maternal
health, linked to the current UN Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 (MDGs) (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals);
the company has also made a pledge (http://goo.gl/6kymNh) to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s
initiative Every Woman Every Child (http://www.everywomaneverychild.org)
and committed to improving the lives of 100 million women and children by 2025
targeting sub-Saharan Africa where high maternal and infant mortality can be
addressed through early diagnosis and preventative care.
Distributed
by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Royal Philips.
For further information, please
contact:
Radhika
Choksey
Philips Group
Communications -
Africa
Tel: +31 62525
9000
E-mail: radhika.choksey@philips.com
(1) Woods
D. Appropriate technology and education for improved intrapartum care in
under-resourced countries (http://goo.gl/xvBaL2).
S Afr J Obstet Gynaecol 2009; 15: 78-79.
Mangesi L,
Hofmyr GJ, Woods DL. Assessing the preference of women for different methods of
monitoring the fetal heart in labour (http://goo.gl/W6YDkt). S Afr J Obstet Gynaecol 2009; 15:
58-59
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE:
PHG, AEX: PHIA) (http://www.philips.com)
is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s
lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer
Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2013
sales of EUR 23.3 billion and employs approximately 113,000 employees with
sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in
cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting
solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming
and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.
About PowerFree Education Technology
(PET)
PET based in South
Africa, was established as a not-for-profit organization by key experts in
newborn and child health. PET advocates and stimulates the development of
appropriate, low-cost, robust, and power-independent medical devices, together
with learning materials, to aid life-saving decisions and help frontline
healthcare workers meet the challenges of health care in under-resourced
settings. More information on PET is located at
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