Helping newborn babies in the delivery room

Newborn resuscitation is a common medical procedure with an estimated 70,000 newborns — 10 per cent of births in the UK — resuscitated each year. Continuous heart rate monitoring has the potential to improve the care of newborn babies who need this treatment.

The heart rate monitor developed by Dr Grubb uses a small optical sensor attached to the baby’s hat. The hat, worn to retain heat, illuminates the forehead with a special light. The light interacts with blood in the baby’s skin, from which the baby’s heart rate can be detected. The device then measures the ‘returning’ signal and gives a real-time readout of the baby’s heart beat.

Dr Grubb said: “I’m fortunate to work with a dedicated team that also includes nurses and doctors from the Nottingham University Hospital. This award highlights the important role played by electronic engineers in these modern multidisciplinary teams.”

Dr Grubb was awarded his PhD in 2009 and is an electronic engineer in the early stages of a successful career in biomedical engineering. He is currently a research fellow in the Electrical Systems and Optics Research Division at The University of Nottingham.

His work on the heart rate monitor has embraced a collaborative approach, particularly with the University’s Technology Transfer Office and Dr George Rice, who leads the Technology Demonstrator facility on Jubilee Campus where new inventions can be seen in action.

Professor Barrie Hayes-Gill, Professor of Electronic Systems and Medical Devices at The University of Nottingham, said: “A considerable volume of research, funding and public output has been generated from Mark’s work. Certainly, without his strong commitment, skill, and motivation as an engineer and researcher, this would not have been possible.

“The Electrical Systems and Optics Research Division is world-leading in the application of optical and instrumentation engineering to the medical sciences, much of this work is multidisciplinary in nature. Mark’s work is an excellent example of this collaborative approach.

“It is his ability to appreciate and engage with all aspects of medical device innovation that has successfully moved this technology from the research laboratory to a clinical protoype that has so far been piloted on over 100 patients in the neonatal unit and delivery room, at two Nottingham hospitals.”

The award was presented at the annual IET Healthcare Technologies Lecture in London. It is given by the IET once a year, to recognise outstanding research and development work in the field of biomedical engineering, in memory of James Alec Lodge.

Dr Grubb was one of only 50 early career engineering researchers invited to the Houses of Parliament, by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, to present to MPs at the ‘SET for Britain 2010’ exhibition earlier this year. The potential impact of his research was also recognised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), who featured it as a case study in their ‘Impact’ campaign.

The University of Nottingham has a broad research portfolio but has also identified and badged 13 research priority groups, in which a concentration of expertise, collaboration and resources create significant critical mass.

Key research areas at Nottingham include biomedical imaging, energy, drug discovery, global food security, advanced manufacturing, integrating global society, operations in a digital world, and science, technology & society.

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as Britain's “only truly global university”, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.

The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.

The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.

More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news

Facts and figures at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/facts/factsandfigures.aspx

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. The IET has more than 150,000 members in 127 countries and has offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The Institution provides a global knowledge network to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas and promotes the positive role of Science, Engineering and Technology in the world.