Ubenwa

Ubenwa is a smartphone app which determines whether or not a new-born is experiencing asphyxia by analysing a recording of their cry. The smartphone app has been tested to perform at 86% sensitivity and 89% specificity in correctly identifying and diagnosing Perinatal Asphyxia. At this level, this simple diagnosis would already represent a large improvement from the status quo in very low-resourced areas. Ubenwa aims to address the high rate of new-born mortality and morbidity resulting from late detection of Perinatal Asphyxia (PA). PA occurs when a new-born is unable to establish spontaneous breathing after birth, and is ranked by the World Health Organization as one of the top three causes of new-born mortality in the developing world. Early detection of PA is critical as it increases the chances of life-saving treatment being applied before the condition exacerbates into irreversible neurological damage. In Nigeria, and many African countries, the majority of births occur in grossly under-equipped hospitals and in the absence of skilled attendance, leading to missed diagnoses.