Artificial Wombs Like Plastic Bag For Premature Babies

Babies born at or before 25 weeks have quite low survival outcomes, and is the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity.In babies born preterm, the chance of survival at less than 23 weeks is close to zero, while at 23 weeks it is 15%, at 24 weeks 55% and at 25 weeks about 80%. With an artificial womb ,a womb created like Mother Uterus outside Human Body like a plastic bag in this study, the premature and preterm born babies can be kept inside it and the babies can continue developing and thus resulting in to development of a healthy baby reducing neonatal mortality.

In this study, Modern concept of ARTIFICIAL IN VITRO WOMB has been created from a plastic bag for a sheep,the premature lambs, equivalent in age to 23to 24 week-old human infants, appeared to develop normally in their bags.The plastic 'biobag' womb is filled with filled with an electrolyte solution which acts like amniotic fluid in the uterus. The lamb's own heart pumps the blood through the umbilical cord into a gas exchange machine outside the bag.

Researchers said after just four weeks the lambs' brains and lungs had matured. They had also grown wool and could wiggle, open their eyes, and swallow."They've had normal growth. They've had normal lung maturation. They've had normal brain maturation. They've had normal development in every way that we can measure it."

The team of researchers insist it is not looking to replace mothers or extend the limits of viability, but to find a better way to support babies born prematurely. The research has been published in Nature Communications.