Breath monitor for newborns: models, the principle of work, testimonials. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Parents, preparing for the birth of the baby, try to acquire all the necessary, allowing to make the life of their baby as comfortable and safe as possible. The list of such devices includes a respiratory monitor for newborns.

Is a breathing monitor necessary?

This device performs automatic control over the breathing of the baby, which allows parents to be calm about its safety. This device is especially necessary for those who have a premature baby, because of its not fully developed respiratory system. Often the obstetricians themselves advise parents to purchase special devices for self-assessment of the baby's condition.

In addition, children under the age of one year have an underdeveloped central nervous and unstable respiratory system, which often causes respiratory arrest. Such situations often happen at night when the babies are asleep. And during sleep this can happen repeatedly, which causes severe anxiety in the parents. Breath stops adversely affect the state of the brain, which can lead to a sudden death syndrome if the outcome is poor.

What is SIDS?

Syndrome of sudden infant death (SIDS) is a medical diagnosis (medical conclusion), which is put to a healthy child who died without any explanable reasons. This tragic case has no unequivocal scientific confirmation. According to statistics, today 0.2% of babies become victims of causeless death. Usually, respiratory arrest is recorded at night or in the pre-morning hours.

Who is at risk?

The risk group, as a rule, includes:

• Children who were born with the help of caesarean section;
• Newborn babies, whose weight is less than 2 kg;
• Children transferred to artificial feeding;
• Infants with pathology of cardiac and respiratory activity;
• Babies whose brothers and / or sisters were killed by SIDS.

Possible causes of SIDS

When the doctor can not find out the reason for the infant's death, the child is diagnosed with the "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome". The reasons why small children die have not been identified so far.

One of the versions of SIDS is a defect in the centers of respiration and awakening. Newborn baby with such a feature is not able to respond to unusual situations. If during the sleep in the body of the child oxygen ceases to act, the infant may not wake up from anxiety, as a result of which SIDS comes.

The older the child, the lower the risk of SIDS. The greatest% of cases of sudden death is observed in two-, three- and four-month-old babies. Among pre-school children, such a phenomenon as SIDS is not recorded. Usually with babies after nine months of life such fears are already removed.

Possible causes of SIDS include:

• Elongation of the QT interval on an electrocardiogram. This indicator is responsible for the stability of the electric field of the heart. The prolongation of the QT interval is diagnosed if the QTc duration exceeds 0.44 s. An increase in this value may lead to the development of dangerous cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death of the baby.
• Apnea. This is a condition in which a baby has a brief breathing delay during sleep, which can last for about 5-25 seconds. In preterm newborns, respiratory arrest occurs more often, respectively, they need more care and attention.
• Deficiency of serotonin receptors. Lack of cells that capture serotonin, located in certain parts of the brain - a frequent finding at the autopsy after SIDS. The lack of these cells, as a rule, is concentrated in the region of the brain responsible for cardio-respiratory synchronism (the relationship between respiration and heart rate).
• Unfinished thermoregulation. The brain cells responsible for thermoregulation ripen in children to about three months of life. Shortly before this, changes in the numbers on the thermometer and an inadequate temperature response are possible. The indication of the thermometer in the children's bedroom should correspond to 18-20 ° C. Exceeding these indicators can lead to overheating of the baby, which will affect the cardiac and respiratory activity and lead to sudden death.

There are other hypotheses (genetic, infectious), but none of them is able to explain all cases of SIDS.

Helping the baby when stopped breathing

Noticing that the child suddenly stopped breathing, you do not need to panic. At this point, parents need to gather, because the accuracy of their actions depends on whether a sudden death will come or not. The first thing you need to do is take the baby in your arms, shake it, massage the limbs and ear lobes. Usually these actions are enough for the baby to start breathing again. If the measures taken do not give the desired result, you must call an ambulance, do artificial respiration and chest massage. Only the doctor can ascertain the death, and it is necessary to continue the resuscitation before his arrival .

Of course, all actions are effective if they are timely. Therefore, the main method of fighting SIDS is prevention. Parents should pay attention to the pose in which the baby falls asleep (you can not put the baby on your stomach), maintaining the optimal temperature regime, the heaviness and bulk of the baby blanket, conducting constant monitoring of the newborn's condition and care by the medical staff (especially in the first three months of life) .

The most important means of prevention is the breathing monitor. Such devices can be used both in stationary and at home. For children at risk, especially with respiratory and cardiovascular pathologies, the use of a home respiratory monitor is mandatory.

Types of breath monitors

There are four types of this device, differing in design and type of execution:

1. Children's respiratory monitor. It is installed under the mattress of the baby and works in cases when the baby does not move during sleep and does not inhale for 20 seconds. A prerequisite is a baby's dream in a crib separate from parents so that they do not affect the sensor's performance.
2. Mobile respiration monitor for newborns. Fastened to a diaper and does not require the sleep of the baby in a separate bed. If the baby does not inhale for 12 seconds, a special vibration signal will immediately trigger, which will be the trigger for the baby to inhale. After all, for this, as a rule, one touch to the baby is enough.
3. Baby monitor with breath monitor. Combines two functions for monitoring the state of crumbs. If necessary, a special signal is sent to the receiver, informing parents of the baby's need for special attention.
4. A video monitor with a breath monitor. Sends an alarm to the monitor of the device.

Browse popular models

Physiological monitors that monitor the health of newborns are becoming increasingly popular. Today the market offers a large selection of different gadgets that measure heart rate, breathing and other vital indicators. If you take into account the reviews about the breath monitors for newborns, the most attention deserves such firms as Babysense, Snuza, Angelcare, etc.

Babysense

Respiratory monitors Babysense (Israel) is a unique system of protection for the preservation of life of newborns. This device is suitable for both preterm and healthy children aged from birth to a year. It can be used in maternity hospitals, children's hospitals and at home.

The device performs continuous monitoring of the body movement and the frequency of the baby's respiratory movements, sending audible and visual signals of danger when breathing stops, lasting more than 20 seconds, or a dangerous change in its frequency (less than 10 movements per minute).

The breath monitor for newborns consists of a control unit and touch panels placed between the bed bottom and the mattress. These sensitive elements control the movements of the baby, while they do not come into direct contact with the child and do not restrict his movements.

The device is absolutely safe for the child, approved by the leading neonatal centers, and also has a registration certificate of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

Snuza

Snuza hero is an electronic breathing sensor with a sensitive piezoelectric sensor that is placed directly on the baby's tummy and catches any movement in the contact area. This model is equipped with a built-in vibration stimulator capable of automatically "pushing" the breath of the baby, in the event of its interruption, and also include an alarm signal when it stops. The device is ideal for children sleeping with their parents, as well as for twins lying in one bed.

According to the parents, the principle of the respiratory monitor for the newborn is quite simple. The leading element of the device is a small piezoelectric sensor , covered with a colored protective cap. It converts the mechanical energy of the muscles into electrical signals, transmitting them to the control unit, which in turn records the number of trips for a specific period of time and, when the amount is recorded below the specified level, includes a danger signal.

The device is absolutely safe. It does not emit dangerous radio waves, it does not cause irritation and can not harm the baby (for example, scratch it). According to the parents, this model is able to work up to 12 months on a single battery, which is a huge plus for any electronic device.

Angelcare AC701

This is probably the best baby monitor, combining high quality sound and the presence of a sub-matrix sensor - a breath monitor that displays all the movements and breathing of the child. Its action is comparable to the operation of finger batteries, and therefore it is absolutely safe for the child. The alarm sounds after 20 seconds after the device has not detected any movement / inhalation of the baby.

The title of the best baby monitor is also supported by the presence of a large number of additional functions:

• Two-way communication;
• The presence of a night lamp on a children's block;
• Low battery indicator;
• The indicator of the exit from the range of action, which is 230 m;
• A ticking signal informing about how the child is breathing;
• Control over the temperature in the room;
• ECO function that saves energy and radiation;
• Search for the parent block.

In conclusion…

Taking care of the baby's health can not be excessive. Such a device as the respiratory monitor for newborns will allow timely warning of possible problems and will make sure that the baby takes his breath in time. After stopping breathing, even if it does not lead to death, it can have various negative consequences in the future due to oxygen starvation of the brain.