Project of a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) electronic bracelet for mass screening of children with acute malnutrition in low-income countries

Malnutrition affects about 200 million children mainly in low income countries and is linked to 45% of all deaths of children 5 years old and under according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Acute malnutrition is characterised by low weight per height and one of the most common diagnostic methods is the measure of the Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), if the value is lower than a threshold the acute malnutrition is severe and an immediate medical intervention is needed. I collaborated with the NGO “Doctors with Africa CUAMM” to develop an electronic device capable of easily measuring the MUAC value and of displaying it on a screen with the grade of severity associated. The value measured can be sent to an Android phone app to build a local database. The aim of this thesis is to develop the requested device with the required specifications. To do this I designed a device that stores a spring retracted tape that can be wrapped around the patient’s arm by a medical professional. A custom made PCB with a microcontroller monitors the tape extraction and informs the user via a colour LCD screen. I used Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate to an Android application. The device was then tested and validated in Italy by a paediatrician. Two prototypes have been tested on site in Uganda at the time of writing.