QinetiQ, working with Queen Charlotte's Hospital and Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, has developed a fully working prototype system for non-invasive fetal ECG. The unborn baby's own electrical heart signals are detected entirely passively using sensors applied to the skin of the mother. Using techniques originally developed by QinetiQ for defence, the fetal heart signal is then separated from the mother's signal and other interference that may be present.
The conventional electrocardiogram (ECG) is the standard tool for assessing the electrical activity of the heart in both adults and children. It gives the relative timing of aspects of the heart function in addition to the overall heart rate. It is extensively studied, well known and widely used. Until now, however, there has been no equivalent equipment available for non-invasive fetal ECG. This is difficult to achieve due to the weakness of the fetal signal at the mother's abdomen and the presence of strong interference from the mother's heartbeat and other sources.  The QinetiQ equipment is currently on trial in two London Hospitals: Queen Charlotte's Hospital (who made the first recordings with the QinetiQ equipment and assisted with the early development of the recording technique) and Guy's and St Thomas' hospital. The two hospitals together have been responsible for fECG recordings on over 450 patients with the QinetiQ equipment over last 12 months.