HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 16 (ACN) The Cuban Center for Neuroscience (CNEURO) has developed Infantix, a neonatal screening system for the early detection of hearing and vision disorders in infants.
In statements to the press, ITC engineer Ernesto Velarde Reyes, one of the leaders of the project, said that the Cuban maternity hospitals usually conduct this kind of hearing test on newborns using imported otoacoustic emission equipment. Unlike Infantix, however, none of these technologies in the world has included visual screenings, he pointed out.
“Another feature of this machine made in Cuba is that it is designed to couple different modules, depending on the test and the signal registers. For example, for an otoacoustic emission test, the module is equipped with a system of microphones and speakers, taking into account that for the clinical analysis the device produces a sound and picks up its echo, which gives information about the functioning of the entire middle and inner ear, and based on this data, Infantix performs an analysis and dictates a result,” he explained.
In the case of a visual evoked potential, he added, the patient receives a visual stimulus, a flash, and the screening system evaluates the brain's response to it. “Thus we can measure the retina, the optic nerve, and the part of the cerebral cortex in charge of visual processing."
According to the specialist, this type of research can help detect major problems of the visual pathway, such as congenital cataracts or neuropathies of the visual nerve. In both visual and auditory evoked potentials, if the device detects any anomaly, it will indicate that the patient should be referred, either to a second test or to a specialist. Otherwise, it will indicate that the infant passed the test without any problems, he stressed.
“The main purpose of this work is to detect any hearing or visual impairment as soon as possible; and in the specific case of hearing, the objective is that every newborn leaves the hospital with this test performed. If we are able to make an early diagnose of any problem and provide for specialized care, the patient will lead a normal life."
In February 2019 Infantix registered with the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED) to perform auditory screenings, whereas the visual analysis method was registered in April 2020.
According to Velarde Reyes, the Ministry of Public Health is currently working on a national plan to introduce this equipment in every institution and maternity ward.
Another unique feature of Infantix is that its operation does not require technical personnel, since it is a smart system capable of performing automatic analyses and processing methods. "It also works with CNEURO’s methods, which gives us a certain technological independence, as there is no need to import the systems," he concluded.
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