Breath Test Provides Shock Tactic to Pregnant Smokers…
A new device to help pregnant women quit smoking is launching today (National No Smoking Day Wednesday 14 March 2007). The Micro Medical Baby CO is a revolutionary new breath monitor aimed at women who continue to smoke during pregnancy. This works by measuring the mother’s carbon monoxide levels and, for the first time, the CO levels of the unborn fetus.
The Micro Medical Baby CO is an innovative new product which acts as a "shocking" incentive to pregnant smokers to stop harming their unborn babies. Its creation is the result of clinical studies carried out in France that revealed quantities of carbon monoxide in the placental blood stream of pregnant smokers.
Mary O’Connor, a midwife specialising in smoking cessation in pregnancy, based in the UK says:
"I have been using the Micro Medical Baby CO since November 2006 and am finding it to be a highly motivational tool in helping pregnant women give up smoking. When the women see the level of harm they are inflicting on their babies combined with the emotive image of the baby, which appears, they are incentivised to try to reduce this. As a result of using the Micro Medical Baby CO on the Isle of Man we are now going to test all pregnant women for levels of carbon monoxide, not just smokers, as passive smoking can have an equally harming effect on the babies."
The device works by measuring the carbon monoxide levels in both mother and baby in a single breath. The two results are instantly displayed on a large liquid crystal display along with three light indicators ranging from red to specify dangerous smoking levels when an alarm sounds and an emotive image of a baby appears, down to green for healthy mother and baby.
The Micro Medical Baby CO measures the alveolar carbon monoxide in parts per million (PPM) concentrations of the mother. From this measurement, the amount of carbon monoxide in the foetus is derived and represented as fetal Carboxyhaemoglobin (%FCOHB).
Measuring breath carbon monoxide is an established technique used in smoking cessation clinics worldwide. Micro Medical is the leader in this sector and has produced in excess of 30,000 Micro CO’s and Smoke Check breath carbon monoxide monitors distributed to over 50 countries.
For more information call 01634 893500
Email: martin.marsh@cardinalhealth.com