Wearable Ultrasound Patch Enables Continuous Fetal Monitoring, finds research
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a soft, wearable ultrasound patch that can continuously monitor a fetus and the umbilical cord for several hours. Reported in Nature Biotechnology, the device offers a noninvasive way to track fetal well-being in real time and could improve prenatal care by enabling prolonged monitoring outside traditional clinical settings. The study was led by a team that included co-first author Geonho (Tom) Park, a PhD candidate at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
For the assessment of clinical relevance and practical feasibility of the technology, an international team of researchers carried out an interdisciplinary clinical study using this novel gadget in two renowned hospitals – the Jacobs Medical Center in UC San Diego Health and John Radcliffe Hospital at the University of Oxford. The patch itself consists of soft materials that can adjust to the shape of the maternal body and provide reliable measurements without any assistance. Moreover, the system includes advanced autonomous tracking algorithms that are aimed at addressing the main issue associated with the process of continuous fetal monitoring: the constant movement of the fetus itself as well as its umbilical cord.
Using these innovative techniques, the system is capable of locking on and accurately measuring the parameters in real-time regardless of the movements of the mother or fetus during the procedure. In order to test the accuracy of the results provided by the system, the researchers recorded hours of monitoring data from a sample group consisting of 62 different pregnancies and compared the values with those from conventional ultrasound devices.
Key findings:
- The clinical study was successful in analyzing the ultrasound patch on the 62 pregnancies tested, where data was collected for both healthy and high-risk pregnancies.
- The study managed to analyze the various obstetric conditions such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, hypertension, and poor fetal growth.
- The patch proved its structural durability in recording data continuously on fetal anatomy and blood flow. In the comparison test, the patch recorded similar levels of blood flow and structural measurements as those of the conventional devices.
- The patch was successful in detecting abnormal fetal signals for a prolonged period and led to the patient having an early C-section at 29 weeks.
This research proves that the use of wearable ultrasound allows for the real-time tracking of fetuses, thus overcoming the dangerous gap between periodic appointments in clinics and the real-time changes in physiology. The fact that an adhesive patch is capable of following the movements of the umbilical cord for extended periods makes it an excellent instrument for high-risk pregnancies.
Reference:
Park, G., Bian, Y., Huang, H. et al. Fetal monitoring for high-risk pregnancies using a wearable ultrasound patch. Nat Biotechnol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03140-1
