Harrison and other FTC surgeons have pioneered the use of advanced surgical procedures to correct congenital defects in human fetal patients. One such condition, for example, is a diaphragmatic hernia, a hole in the diaphragm that allows internal organs to shift from the abdominal cavity into the chest cavity. The result is less space for the lungs to develop. About 75 percent of children with diaphragmatic hernias die, according to Harrison. The procedure involves exposure of the fetus by cesarean section and surgical correction of the congenital defect.
Surgeons then implant a biotransmitter and sensors under the fetus' skin or in the uterus.
The sensors measure fetal heart rate and pressure within the uterus. Once the infant is stable after birth, surgeons remove the sensors and transmitter. The FTC procedure costs only slightly more than a standard cesarean section and requires just a two-week hospital stay for the infant. Ames also is working with the FTC to expand its fetal monitoring capability by developing a small, lightweight, portable fetal health status monitor. This would allow a pregnant mother to monitor her baby outside the hospital, with data sent to an external recording device for later analysis.