Quantifying Body Position During Infant Car Seat Tolerance Screening
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Erin Mannen (Mentor), Boise State University
Abstract
Car seat designs allow for safe transportation of infants, yet as collision-based safety improves, respiratory-related concerns for infants in car seats remain unaddressed. Placing infants in an upright seated position prior to their developmental ability to voluntarily maintain that posture can induce respiratory compromise or positional asphyxia. The Car Seat Tolerance Screening (CSTS) is used to monitor physiological conditions prior to hospital discharge to ensure safe travel. We hypothesize that infant’s body position within the car seat is directly related to CSTS performance, yet no methods currently exist to quantify position during CSTS. Therefore, our objective is to develop and validate methodology to measure infants’ head/neck flexion while not interfering with a typical CSTS. Photos of a doll with spherical markers placed on the glabella, philtrum, manubrium, and xiphoid were taken from the sagittal plane. We calculated the head/neck flexion angle in MATLAB. The next step is validating measurements using inclinometers, then testing the protocol in vivo on a pilot infant. Results from this study will show feasibility of non-invasively measuring an infant’s head/neck flexion during CSTS. Our future work will include trunk flexion and electromyography measurements, and partnering with local CSTS professionals to conduct testing on infants during CSTS.
Quantifying Body Position During Infant Car Seat Tolerance Screening
Car seat designs allow for safe transportation of infants, yet as collision-based safety improves, respiratory-related concerns for infants in car seats remain unaddressed. Placing infants in an upright seated position prior to their developmental ability to voluntarily maintain that posture can induce respiratory compromise or positional asphyxia. The Car Seat Tolerance Screening (CSTS) is used to monitor physiological conditions prior to hospital discharge to ensure safe travel. We hypothesize that infant’s body position within the car seat is directly related to CSTS performance, yet no methods currently exist to quantify position during CSTS. Therefore, our objective is to develop and validate methodology to measure infants’ head/neck flexion while not interfering with a typical CSTS. Photos of a doll with spherical markers placed on the glabella, philtrum, manubrium, and xiphoid were taken from the sagittal plane. We calculated the head/neck flexion angle in MATLAB. The next step is validating measurements using inclinometers, then testing the protocol in vivo on a pilot infant. Results from this study will show feasibility of non-invasively measuring an infant’s head/neck flexion during CSTS. Our future work will include trunk flexion and electromyography measurements, and partnering with local CSTS professionals to conduct testing on infants during CSTS.