The pacifier would track electrolyte, sodium and potassium levels in premature and low birth weight infants, relaying the results to the caregiver via Bluetooth. The researchers — who in the U.S. are located in Washington, Georgia and Kansas — published their initial findings recently in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
The study authors say the pacificiers could eventually replace the painful, invasive twice-daily blood draws typically used to monitor electrolytes.
“You often see NICU pictures where babies are hooked up to a bunch of wires to check their health conditions such as their heart rate, the respiratory rate, body temperature and blood pressure,” study co-author Jong-Hoon Kim, an associate professor at the Washington State University School of Engineering and Computer Science, said in a May 16 news release. “We want to get rid of those wires.”
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