Watch this 1-hour webinar by Prof. Carlo Ratto, MD, PhD. and Prof. Stefano Salvatore, MD, PhD.
Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIs) are highly prevalent and have serious consequences. Overall, OASI counts as the major cause of fecal/anal incontinence (FI) in women who give vaginal birth. Any OASI increases the FI risk as much as nearly 4-fold. Research suggests that as many as 44% of women who experience OASIS during childbirth will develop FI later in life.
Currently, obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI) are identified in less than 4% of women who give vaginal birth. The currently available methods, i.e., primarily the digital rectal examination (palpation), are often the only options available in the labour ward. However, its sensitivity varies, is generally low, and markedly contingent on the obstetrician’s or midwife’s experience. This demonstrates the unmet need for improved methods and standards for OASI detection.
The ONIRY system, a machine learning-assisted impedance spectroscopy-based medical device, has been developed to fill the critical gap of early, bedside detection of OASI. This system offers a rapid and minimally invasive complement to the digital rectal examination (manual check) that brings detection of OASI to the next level in labour wards.
