'Electronic nose' could help to identify infant bowel condition

The project is a collaborative effort by clinicians and electronics experts at the University of West England (UWE) in Bristol and at NHS trusts in Bristol and Birmingham, with funding from Action Medical Research.

Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious bowel condition that affects around 3,000 (mostly premature) babies each year. Up to 35 per cent of these babies die, while survivors often develop long-term health problems.

‘Doctors and nurses must be constantly on the lookout for symptoms of NEC, as premature babies in neonatal units can develop the disease at any time, with little or no warning. No current test can reliably identify babies in the early stages of the disease,’ said project co-ordinator Dr Alexandra Dedman from Action Medical Research.

Noting that some nurses claim to be able to pick up a characteristic smell in the faeces, the team set to work on a sensor that might be able to detect tell-tale gaseous molecules.