A portable monitor for fetal heart rate and uterine contraction

The authors describe a low-power lightweight device for long-term ambulatory monitoring of high-risk pregnancies. The portable instrument was developed to monitor fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contraction (UC) continuously. It can record the abnormal FHR and UC, and it alerts pregnant women when to go to the hospital to see a physician. The abnormal FHR and UC recorded by the monitor can be analyzed by the associated system, which provides valuable data for the physician as an aid to diagnosis and treatment. The monitor is miniaturized for ambulatory monitoring and is powered by a commercial alkaline 9 V battery.