Bayangkan masa depan di mana sistem boleh mengesan dalam satu saat sama ada bayi baru lahir mengalami jaundis, penyakit yang menjejaskan 60 peratus bayi dan boleh menyebabkan kerosakan otak dan kehilangan pendengaran dalam kes yang teruk. Bayangkan bahawa sistem segera memulakan rejimen rawatan dan memberitahu jururawat melalui mesej teks. Ketiga-tiga senario kini boleh dilakukan berkat usaha penyelidik dari Iraq dan Adelaide.
Jurutera dari University of South Australia dan Middle Technical University telah mereka bentuk perisian pengimejan yang boleh mendiagnosis jaundis dengan tepat dalam sekelip mata, menghidupkan lampu LED biru secara automatik untuk mengelakkan jaundis, dan menghantar diagnosis sebagai mesej teks kepada paramedik.
Jaundice is a common disease in newborns, especially premature babies, and there is an excess of an orange-yellow pigment called bilirubin in the blood. It usually resolves quickly when a baby's liver grows enough to expel it from the body.
However, in severe cases of jaundice, due to sickle cell anemia, blood disorders and deficiencies of certain enzymes, the disease is often treated with phototherapy, which uses fluorescent blue light to break down bilirubin in the baby's skin.
Jurutera penderiaan jauh University of South Australia, Profesor Javaan Chahl berkata penyakit kuning amat berleluasa di negara membangun, di mana selalunya tiada peralatan atau kakitangan perubatan terlatih untuk merawatnya dengan berkesan.
Professor Chahl said: "Using image processing techniques extracted from the data captured by the camera, we can inexpensively and accurately screen newborns for jaundice before blood tests are performed."
"When bilirubin levels reach a certain threshold, a microcontroller triggers blue LED light therapy and sends the details to the phone."
"This can be done in a second, really, it can have a big impact in severe cases and, if not treated quickly, can lead to brain damage and hearing loss."
Para penyelidik secara sistematik menguji 20 bayi baru lahir yang didiagnosis dengan jaundis di unit rawatan rapi di Mosul, Iraq. Set kedua data mengumpul 16 imej bayi baru lahir, di mana 5 adalah sihat dan selebihnya adalah jaundis. Sistem ini juga berjaya diuji pada empat peragawati tambahan dengan ton kulit putih dan coklat, beberapa dengan dan tanpa pigmentasi jaundis.
"Previous research using sensors to find non-invasive ways to detect jaundice has failed. Tried methods are unreliable, costly, inefficient and, in some cases, cause infections and allergies where the sensor needs to touch the skin," he said. Professor Chahl said.
"Our system overcomes these hurdles, instantly detecting jaundice based on a novel digital color representation, enabling high diagnostic accuracy at relatively low cost. It can be used in hospitals around the world and without laboratory facilities and well-trained are widely used by medical staff in medical centers."
Penyelidikan telah diterbitkan dalam jurnal kejuruteraan Designs.
