Embrace Infant Warmer

Target Regions

East Africa, West Africa

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$200.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Community, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Embrace Global and Embrace Innovations (Ei)  

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include Incubaby Neonatal Incubator and GlobalNeoNat Infant Incubator.

Regions

East Africa, West Africa

Manufacturing/Building Method

Mass produced in India via Embrace Innovations (Ei) which handles the design, manufacturing, and clinical testing of the infant warmer device.

Intellectural Property Type

Patent Protected

User Provision Model

Embrace operates within a hybrid non-profit/ for-profit model to achieve large-scale impact on neonatal hypothermia and other complex maternal/child health issues. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization - Embrace - donates infant warmers for free through partnerships with local NGOs to the neediest clinics. The for-profit social enterprise - Embrace Innovations (Ei) - sells the warmers to government bodies and private entities (such as clinics) that can afford to pay for them. Since Embrace works within a program model, they are unable to sell the warmers individually.

Distributions to Date Status

More than 50,000 units have been distributed until April, 2014

Design Specifications

The Embrace Warmer rapidly stabilizse the temperature of an infant suffering from hypothermia and keeps that temperature for 4 hours. The Embrace achieves this via use of a phase-change material (PCM) in the WarmPak. Once the Warmpak is heated, it slots into the Babywrap and regulates warmth at a temperature of 37°C for a period of 4 hours.The Embrace Warmer components included in the Starter Pack are:

WarmPak: Maintains temperature of ~37?C for at least 4 hours. Must be reheated in the AccuTemp heater for 30 minutes, every 4 to 6 hours. (380mm x 220mm, 1.3kg)
BabyWrap: Reusable and easy to sanitize using disinfectants or soap wash (520mm x 250mm, 0.3kg)
AccuTemp Heater: Precision heating mechanism prevents overheating of WarmPak. Requires intermittent access to electricity. (440mm x 290mm x 70mm, 2.5kg) The AccuTemp heater peak power consumption is 500 Watts at 230 V, and approximately 15 Watts in ready mode.

The Embrace Warmer is intended to provide warmth to clinically stable newborns weighing between 1.5 -2.5 kilograms.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Technical support can be provided by phone (Customer Service: +1 800 1033 123)

Replacement Components

The Embrace Warmer can be reused up to 50 times, the BabyWrap can be sanitized with a disinfecting cotton swab. Additional WarmPak and BabyWrap can be purchased separately as necessary.

Lifecycle

1 year from the date of sale to the original purchaser, if used in accordance with operation manual of the product.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The Embrace Warmer maintains a temperature of ~37?C for at least 4 hours. It is transportable, intuitive and sanitizable. The AccuTemp Heater delivers precision heating and prevents overheating of WarmPak. Can be used in settings with intermittent electricity.

Vetted Performance Status

Manufacturer testing via clinical trials was conducted. A detailed description of the Clinical Performance of the Embrace Isothermal Mattress (KBW) was last verified in May 2012 by Stanford University. A non-inferiority trial was lead by the Department of Neonatology, St. John's Medical College, (Bangalore, India) in 2015 and demonstrated that the warmer was non-inferior to the standard of care.

Safety

The warmer needs to be sanitized with a disinfecting cotton swab after every use. The Embrace infant warmer is not intended to be used in a home setting.

Complementary Technical Systems

Unknown.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

The organization has received its ISO certification, and will soon be applying for international regulatory approvals.

Other Information

Embrace was awarded The Tech Awards’ Laureate Impact Award for 2015. The award honors past Tech Awards laureates who have demonstrated significant progress toward solving a global problem since winning the prize.