15 February 2018
Space technology set to save small lives
In an Australian first, cutting-edge computer technology that is used to track the vital statistics of astronauts in space could one day be saving the lives of seriously ill babies here in Western Australia.
Known as Artemis, the computer technology platform would act as an early warning system for medical staff alerting them to potentially significant physiological changes, such as oxygen saturation levels, heart rate and respiratory rate, that might signal deterioration in a patient's condition.
The computer technology platform was developed by Australian-born computer scientist, Professor Carolyn McGregor AM. Now based in Canada, Professor McGregor is Canada Research Chair in Health Informatics at the University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology.
"Both a premature baby and an astronaut have to deal with adaption so we analyse every breath, every heart beat in complex ways," said Professor McGregor.
King Edward's Memorial Hospital is the first hospital to implement the new software as part of an investigation into the potential for such technology into neonatal intensive care units.
View the Channel 7 News special report (external site).