Implantable Ultralow Pulmonary Pressure Monitoring System for Fetal Surgery

Congenital pulmonary hypoplasia is a devastating condition affecting fetal and newborn pulmonary physiology, resulting in great morbidity and mortality. The fetal lung develops in a fluid-filled environment. In this paper, we describe a novel, implantable pressure sensing and recording device which we use to study the pressures present in the fetal pulmonary tree throughout gestation. The system achieves 0.18 cm H ₂O resolution and can record for 21 days continuously at 256 Hz. Sample tracings of in vivo fetal lamb recordings are shown.