 News
15th February 2006
Probe warns of baby brain damage
Scientists have devised a probe which can warn if a baby
is being deprived of oxygen during birth.
The team from the University of Warwick say it could reduce the need
for emergency caesareans which are performed if there is any doubt of
the amount of oxygen reaching the baby.
And experts said such a test could have huge benefits - but warned much
more work was needed before the Warwick probe could be used in hospitals.
The probe checks for high levels of a chemical called hypoxanthine which
would indicate hypoxia - a lack of oxygen.
Current tests for foetal hypoxia are unreliable and many experts feel
they are not specific enough.
They often lead to caesarean sections - some of which may be unnecessary
- and baby's are often given head cooling treatment, which has been shown
to minimise the risk of damage from oxygen deprivation.
Professor Nick Dale, the neuroscientist who has led the Warwick research,
has developed a probe with a biosensor for the chemical hypoxanthine,
with high levels indicating a high risk of a child being starved of oxygen.
The sensor tests drops of blood taken from the baby's scalp while it
is still in the womb. It contains an enzyme which metabolises hypoxanthine
- indicating how much is in the baby's blood.
More laboratory work needs to be carried out. But Professor Dale said,
"We hope to begin human trials in a couple of years."
A University of Warwick spokesman added, "This test would allow doctors
to take a more informed decision as to whether to proceed to a Caesarean,
and probably therefore reduce the number of Caesareans conducted.
"Another advantage is that Professor Dale's test also requires much less
fine-tuning than current tests."
Professor James Walker, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
at St James' Hospital, Leeds, said "This sort of work is the Holy Grail
of perinatal medicine.
"We want to try and find something that tells us if the baby is at risk
of brain damage, which affects under one in 1,000 babies.
But Charles Rodeck, professor of foetal medicine at University College
London Hospital, warned, "This is very early research. This probe would
need to be used in clinical trials on a large scale before it could be
used widely."
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