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Hearing checks are offered to all newborns in New Zealand, however the baby needs to be asleep, or at least very settled, throughout the test.

Baby Lihona sleeps while she has her hearing checked.
Photo: Supplied

Technicians at Christchurch Hospital have come up with a simple invention to keep newborn babies asleep during hearing checks.

The first six months of a baby's life are considered a critical window for language and speech development, and the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme offers hearing checks to all newborns in New Zealand.

Electrodes are placed on the baby's head with a conductive gel to assess the brain stem and hearing nerve response.

But there's a catch - the baby needs to be asleep, or at least very settled, throughout the test.

And as it turned out, rubbing cold gel onto a baby's head was an effective way to wake one up.

Screening programme co-ordinator Angela Deken explained: "Rubbing cold gel onto a baby's head would often give them a fright and that's the last thing we want."

An unsettled baby would need to come back another time to get the test - not to mention the frustration it caused parents of newborns they had just managed to get to sleep.

The Medical Physics and Bioengineering team were contacted, and the solution was surprisingly simple - a custom gel warmer.

The team behind the Cosyplate Gel Warmer (from left) Angela Deken, Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Co-ordinator, Pam Spark, Hearing Screener, Stefan James, Electronics Technician and Johann Bader, Mechanical Technician
Cosyplate.
Photo: Supplied

With no portable, battery-powered commercial option on the market, they made one.

"We looked at what radiology uses, but they were thousands of dollars," Deken said.

"And then two of the engineers said, 'Well, I'm sure we can make something'."

Development took about two years, but eventually the Cosyplate Gel Warmer was the official solution, and Deken said it was now being rolled out across the whole district.

Electronics technician at Christchurch Hospital Stefan James led its development. He explained it used a small, battery-powered heating element coupled to a stainless-steel plate, warming it to a safe and consistent temperature of 37 degrees.

"The surface temperature is continuously monitored, and screeners can read the current temperature via a small display on the device," he said.

The Cosyplate Gel Warmer was designed and made in-house to meet a clinical need.
Photo: Supplied

One important design consideration was that the gel should not be warmed above 30 degrees for prolonged periods, to prevent separation that could reduce the effectiveness of the electrode.

The control board and graphic overlay were designed by James, while the enclosure and labelling were crafted by mechanical technician Johann Bader.

Angela Deken said the results had been immediate.

"We have noticed that babies are far less likely to wake when we apply the gel now," she said.

"Parents have also told us they much prefer the idea of warm gel being used, particularly with winter approaching."

The team hoped other hospitals would be interested in picking up the device and Deken said she had already had an inquiry from another district keen to get their hands on it.