Ua sort of “bag” capable of recreating the conditions in which the fetus develops. It is the artificial womb, a technology developed to try to save preterm newborns. The first tests on animals were positive. In this way the baby can develop as in the mother’s womb. Here’s what it is.
Premature, born before the time
According to the definition of the World Health Organization, it is defined premature a child born before 37 weeks gestation. Preterm birth is the main cause of disability and death in children under 5 years of age.
The period between 22 and 28 weeks is particularly crucial both for the survival both for avoid the development of complications even in adulthood. One of the systems that are most affected by preterm birth is that respiratory. In fact, the lungs are the organs that develop last.
A sac like uterus
This is why research in the field of premature newborns has always tried to identify solutions capable of completing the baby’s development outside the mother’s womb. For some time, various research groups have been trying to develop tools capable of mimic the role of the uterus as much as possible. One of these, developed by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is theartificial uterus “Extra-uterine Environment for Newborn Development, or EXTEND“. Tested to date in an animal model, the technology consists of a real one “bag” filled with amniotic-like fluid where – after the caesarean section – the newborn is placed. Also in this case the umbilical cord is connected to the outside where, thanks to the baby’s heartbeat, the outgoing blood is purified and the incoming blood is enriched with nutrients and oxygen. An approach that allowed the first animal models subjected to the treatment to be kept alive for a month.
Only when needed
However, be careful if you think that this tool can completely replace the mother’s womb. The researchers’ idea is very precise: the critical time window for the development of the premature baby it is between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation. The use of the artificial uterus is therefore restricted to a limited period of time, i.e. that necessary to complete lung development.
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