Principal Investigator: Assoc. Prof. Radana Vilímková Kahánková, Ph.D.

Collaborating Institutions:
• VSB – Technical University of Ostrava
• University Hospital Ostrava
• External expert advisory institutions: Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Torrens University Australia, Silesian University of Technology

Budget: 13, 622, 000 CZK

The PROTECT project focuses on modernizing feto-maternal care during childbirth through advanced signal processing, artificial intelligence, and close clinical collaboration. It aims to deliver three key outcomes:

  1. PROTECT Dataset – a large, high-quality, and thoroughly annotated collection of perinatal data, including continuous physiological signals (maternal and fetal heart rate, uterine contractions), clinical records, neonatal outcomes (pH, Apgar score, base deficit, lactate), and pathology findings (placental pathology, HIE, infections, anomalies). This dataset will enable more precise outcome definitions and support the development of next-generation predictive tools.
  2. PROTECT Fusion System – a computer-aided detection and prediction platform combining conventional CTG parameters, novel digital biomarkers, and multi-source clinical data. Using explainable AI, it will provide advanced visualizations and interpretable outputs to support informed and consistent clinical decision-making.
  3. PROTECT Study – a clinical evaluation assessing the impact of the PROTECT Fusion system on healthcare professionals' decision-making during intrapartum fetal surveillance.

The project is driven by two main hypotheses:
• H1: Digital biomarkers derived from advanced signal processing will improve predictive performance compared with traditional CTG-based features.
• H2: A fusion of physiological signals and clinical data will further enhance the accuracy of neonatal outcome prediction.

By achieving these goals, PROTECT will contribute to more accurate diagnostics, improved childbirth safety, and the advancement of modern data-driven tools in perinatal care.