A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements
Abstract Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) is a non-invasive technique that measures the magnetic fields associated with fetal heart electrical activity outside of the maternal abdomen. fMCG has high temporal precision for measuring fetal heart rate and its variability which reflects fetal neurodevel...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90846-y |
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| author | Diana Escalona-Vargas Alberto Ramirez Eric R. Siegel Elijah H. Bolin Hari Eswaran |
| author_facet | Diana Escalona-Vargas Alberto Ramirez Eric R. Siegel Elijah H. Bolin Hari Eswaran |
| author_sort | Diana Escalona-Vargas |
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| description | Abstract Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) is a non-invasive technique that measures the magnetic fields associated with fetal heart electrical activity outside of the maternal abdomen. fMCG has high temporal precision for measuring fetal heart rate and its variability which reflects fetal neurodevelopment. Free of cryogenics and low-cost sensors called microfabricated optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have emerged as an alternate to cryogenic SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) systems to record fMCG. Previous research has demonstrated the ability of the OPMs to measure the fMCG at different maternal positions by taking the advantage of the conformal and geometric flexibility of the sensors. In this work, we designed and configured a bed-based stand-alone array of OPMs to obtain serial recordings of fMCG. 72 combined OPM-SQUID recordings were conducted at different gestational ages in 22 pregnant women. We were able to obtain fMCG with similar detectability as the gold standard SQUID from OPM sensors mounted on a novel belly-shape patient interface design with movable sensor holders. While additional translational research is needed, the outcome of this study can further facilitate the development of a non-cryogenic low-cost smaller footprint device to increase the use of OPMs for fetal research and clinical applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b245aa8df9c74b77975f6e10c930ccba |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b245aa8df9c74b77975f6e10c930ccba2025-08-20T03:04:01ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-90846-yA customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurementsDiana Escalona-Vargas0Alberto Ramirez1Eric R. Siegel2Elijah H. Bolin3Hari Eswaran4Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s HospitalDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesDepartment of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s HospitalDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesAbstract Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) is a non-invasive technique that measures the magnetic fields associated with fetal heart electrical activity outside of the maternal abdomen. fMCG has high temporal precision for measuring fetal heart rate and its variability which reflects fetal neurodevelopment. Free of cryogenics and low-cost sensors called microfabricated optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have emerged as an alternate to cryogenic SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) systems to record fMCG. Previous research has demonstrated the ability of the OPMs to measure the fMCG at different maternal positions by taking the advantage of the conformal and geometric flexibility of the sensors. In this work, we designed and configured a bed-based stand-alone array of OPMs to obtain serial recordings of fMCG. 72 combined OPM-SQUID recordings were conducted at different gestational ages in 22 pregnant women. We were able to obtain fMCG with similar detectability as the gold standard SQUID from OPM sensors mounted on a novel belly-shape patient interface design with movable sensor holders. While additional translational research is needed, the outcome of this study can further facilitate the development of a non-cryogenic low-cost smaller footprint device to increase the use of OPMs for fetal research and clinical applications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90846-yBiomagnetismFetusMagnetocardiographyOptically pumped magnetometersPregnancy |
| spellingShingle | Diana Escalona-Vargas Alberto Ramirez Eric R. Siegel Elijah H. Bolin Hari Eswaran A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements Scientific Reports Biomagnetism Fetus Magnetocardiography Optically pumped magnetometers Pregnancy |
| title | A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements |
| title_full | A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements |
| title_fullStr | A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements |
| title_short | A customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements |
| title_sort | customized bed based stand alone array of optically pumped magnetometers for fetal magnetocardiography measurements |
| topic | Biomagnetism Fetus Magnetocardiography Optically pumped magnetometers Pregnancy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90846-y |
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