HEALTH NOTES: New gadget can spot life-threatening bleeding after birth

Scientists have created a device that can detect early signs of life-threatening bleeding after birth.

The gadget, worn on the wrist, uses laser sensors to detect any sudden change in blood flow that would indicate heavy bleeding in the body. Post-partum haemorrhage accounts for roughly a tenth of all maternal deaths in the UK.

Following animal tests, researchers at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, are now recruiting pregnant women to take part in a clinical study.

The gadget, worn on the wrist, uses laser sensors to detect any sudden change in blood flow that would indicate heavy bleeding in the body. Post-partum haemorrhage accounts for roughly a tenth of all maternal deaths in the UK

Coughing predicts level of Covid care

Listening to a Covid patient’s cough can allow doctors to predict whether they will need urgent care, according to a study.

Spanish researchers analysed the coughs of 70 patients with Covid and were able to build a computer model that could spot which patients had a severe infection.

The model takes into account cough frequency, as well as how it sounds, which might suggest how badly infected the lungs are, according to the scientists at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Spanish researchers analysed the coughs of 70 patients with Covid and were able to build a computer model that could spot which patients had a severe infection

People who suffer a brain injury are more likely to develop heart disease, it is claimed.

Researchers in America found that patients with a traumatic brain injury were more liable to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which can trigger deadly heart problems.

The study by scientists at Mass General Brigham Hospital in Massachusetts, published in the medical journal The Lancet Neurology, concluded that this may be due to the fact that people with brain injuries are more likely to gain weight and experience poor sleep, which can lead to heart issues.