CALM system

When you are surrounded by women on the cusp of giving birth there is nothing more welcome than a little CALM. That is the acronym for the Computer Assisted Labor Monitoring system, an important new tool that the MUHC's obstetricians and obstetrical nurses hope to acquire so they can more safely and accurately assess and treat women in labour.

Presently, caregivers at the Women's Health Mission's Birthing Centre can only observe key labour indicators such as fetal and maternal heartbeats when they are physically in the room. With the CALM system, information from up to 20 women can be synthesized on a single screen, allowing nurses and physicians to keep continual track of their patients from a central location such as a nursing station. If there is an emergency, the system will set off an alarm, triggering a prompt response.

The CALM system also includes a large database of information gathered from thousands of Canadian births against which it compares the data it receives from MUHC patients. This allows nurses and physicians to instantly have a virtual “second opinion,” which helps them determine if someone's labour patterns are normal and when an intervention like a caesarian section might be required. The system also creates a comprehensive chart for every patient, making the evaluation of cases easier and providing vital data for teaching and for monitoring subsequent births.

The CALM system, which was developed in the late 1990s by a Montreal company and incorporates pioneering research by McGill’s Dr. Emily Hamilton, will cost about $350,000, a substantial amount but, as everyone in the birthing room will attest, a small price to pay for a little CALM.

This series is intended to be informative. The McGill University Health Centre Foundation does not endorse any particular manufacturer or model of the equipment shown and described here.