A comprehensive wireless neurological and cardiopulmonary monitoring platform for pediatrics

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering
• Pediatric Health Monitoring
• Health Technology Assessment

Background:

• Early neurodevelopment is critical for lifelong functional potential.
• Health disparities impact access to neurodevelopmental monitoring in underserved populations.
• Non-clinical, wearable solutions can address these health inequalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the ANNE EEG system, an extension of the ANNE wireless monitoring platform.
• To assess the feasibility and accuracy of multimodal neurodevelopmental monitoring using ANNE EEG in diverse settings.
• To gauge parental preference and perceived impact of the wearable system on child well-being.

Main Methods:

• Integration of 16-channel electroencephalography (EEG) with existing ANNE platform (ECG, respiration, SpO2, motion, temperature).
• Multi-center pilot study involving 91 neonatal and pediatric patients in academic and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings.
• Utilized widely available mobile devices for real-time control and streaming, with low-cost consumables and wearable operation.

Main Results:

• Successfully collected ANNE EEG data, demonstrating practicality and feasibility in diverse clinical and LMIC environments.
• Achieved high accuracy in electroencephalography studies, validated against gold standard systems using quantitative and qualitative metrics.
• Overwhelming majority of parents preferred the wireless system and believed it would improve their children's health.

Conclusions:

• The ANNE EEG system offers a practical, accurate, and wearable solution for multimodal neurodevelopmental monitoring.
• This technology has the potential to enhance health equity by enabling monitoring outside traditional clinical settings.
• Findings support the ANNE system's utility for screening neurologic diseases impacting neurodevelopment.