Cross Hills medical equipment firm Viamed has been given a £45,000 government grant to develop a pioneering foetal heart simulator which could help save babies' lives.

The electronics firm specialises in equipment for intensive-care units, special-care baby units and operating theatres. It is one of only 20 nationwide to receive one of the latest Smart awards, sponsored by the Department for Trade and Industry.

The awards provide the cash to move from a proven good idea to a prototype, and have to be matched by the firms receiving them. Viamed will use the money to explore the feasibility of commercially producing a foetal heart simulator, which could be used to test foetal heart transducers and monitors. It could be used as a quick, every-day check by NHS staff, as a diagnostic aid or tool by biomedical engineers, and as a teaching aid for medical staff.

Such a device is not commercially available at the moment, says Viamed joint managing director John Lamb. But a simulator could be of vital importance since foetal heart monitors are used to aid clinical decisions during the latter part of pregnancy. Confusion between maternal and foetal heart rates is possible, which could lead to severe foetal problems going undiagnosed.

Mr Lamb says: "About 99 per cent of pregnancies are normal, and in the rest the chances of a problem with the monitoring equipment are very small. But our simulator will give an extra level of safety. It could just help to save a baby's life."

Mr Lamb set up Viamed 22 years ago at Farnhill. The firm moved to Cross Hills in 1983, and now employs around 20 people and exports throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Export manager Steve Nixon says: "The award means we will be able to move forward much quicker. We will be able to buy in the expertise we could not normally afford, in areas like computer design, materials and manufacturing processes, and produce a prototype in much less time. We will be able to compete on an equal footing with the rest of Europe."

Jeremy Walker, regional director of the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, says: "Innovation is a key driver of competitiveness and business success. Once again this region has proved it has the inventiveness and business acumen needed to build tomorrow's world."

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