Comparing the performance of a new disposable pneumatic tocodynamometer with a standard tocodynamometer

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Obstetrics and Gynecology

Background:

• Standard strain gauge tocodynamometers (TOCO) are widely used for uterine contraction monitoring.
• A novel disposable, lightweight pneumatic tocodynamometer (pTOCO) has been developed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the equivalence of the new pTOCO to the standard TOCO.
• To assess the performance of the pTOCO in measuring uterine contraction timing and duration.

Main Methods:

• Mechanical testing of both devices under varying loads and pressures.
• Simultaneous recording of uterine contractions using pTOCO and standard TOCO in pregnant women.
• Analysis of 171 contractions from 28 women, focusing on contraction start, peak, end times, and duration.

Main Results:

• Mechanical testing demonstrated similar response curves for both devices.
• Statistical analysis confirmed significant equivalence between pTOCO and standard TOCO for event timing and duration (within ±10 s, p ≤0.0001).

Conclusions:

• The pTOCO is equivalent to the standard TOCO for accurately detecting uterine contraction timing and duration.
• The pTOCO presents a promising lightweight, disposable alternative to existing tocodynamometers for clinical use.