Development of a Pediatric Pulse Oximeter for Low Resource Areas

In Sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 5 children are admitted to the hospital due to below average levels of oxygen in the blood caused by respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia. Other acute lower respiratory infections account for 1.4 million deaths annually in low resource areas. Pulse oximetry is commonly used to measure oxygen saturation levels, specifically for those with compromised respiratory conditions, to make sure that enough oxygen is being transported to the extremities. Low resource countries face many challenges to access pulse oximeters, mainly due to cost and durability of the device. This lack of oximeters decreases the ability to properly monitor newborns thus putting them at risk for further complications or even death. If a pulse oximeter is available, problems can arise from poor placement of the device resulting in inaccurate level readings. At Baby Ox, our proposed design of an improved attachment system for a pediatric pulse oximeter will result in more accurate oxygen level readings in addition to increasing the availability for low resource areas with its reasonable price.

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