Smart Tool Predicts Pregnancy Complications in Mothers

Credit:Bridget Colla

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London had come together to develop which will help in saving both mother and babies lives. This tool effectively works by predicting whether the women in question are with early onset of the pre-eclampsia or are they fit to prolong their pregnancy. If you are wondering what eclampsia is then it is a condition which is known to affect as much as one per cent of the pregnant women and it is known to lead to extremely fata complication which might include the liver, kidney failure, lung problems, seizures and bleeding disorders.

How dangerous is pre-eclampsia?

Each year more than 1000 babies die due to complications rising from the pre-eclampsia. The PREP study conducted by team resulted in finding two highly successful method which helps in predicting the risk of the complications with an accuracy rate of the 84 percent among mothers. This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and it has already been published in the BMC medicine.

On the lead researcher associated with this study and development of the smart tool has stated that quite often babies are delivered prematurely which ultimately brings complications for the mother. Till today there is no robust test or guidelines to follow during the early birth scenario but the decision rest completely with the physician as well as mother in this regard.

It will be boon to the neonatal care

Currently the neonatal intensive care is in fragile state where one finds an acute shortage of the beds with higher hospital costs. Most of the hospital wards are concerned with the mother’s health and neonatal care takes a backseat. Secondly the cost of the facilities is so high that it becomes quite an expensive affair to check upon the pre-eclampsia tests.

Researchers had studied about 946 women who had shown the signs of early onset of the pre-eclampsia and they had been brought from 53 NHS trusts. Now the data was gathered for the participants through the team by carefully mentioning the age, gestation, blood pressure, liver & kidney function along with varied other parameters. The team of researchers were entrusted with the task of developing a mathematical model which will be able to predict the risk of complications in the participants who are the pregnant mothers.

How this smart tool works?

This tool has been named PREP model which will be helpful for the clinician in order to determine whether the mother is required to be transferred to the intensive maternal and neonatal care. The mother’s data and mathematical method will work together in analysing the mother’s health and it will help in figuring the high risk women from others.

Secondly the clinicians can make use of the PREP model in their regular practice through extremely well planned and robust clinical trials. This will help in understanding the subsequent rise of the pre-eclampsia among the pregnant women and it will also help in pre-emptive measure against it.