Image-based tools to spot post-cesarean wound infections early
Official title: Image-based algorithms for remote cesarean surgical site infection diagnoses in diverse populations
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11478409 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to use pictures and thermal images to help clinicians and community health workers detect cesarean-site infections sooner in women in Africa and Latin America.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $116,934 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD112403-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11478409 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women who have recently had a cesarean delivery and are being followed in Rwanda, Ghana, or Mexico.
✕Less likely to help
Patients outside the study sites or those not experiencing a postoperative wound issue may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project tests two existing image-based diagnostic tools for post-cesarean surgical site infections by following 6,000 women across Rwanda, Ghana, and Mexico and collecting wound photos and infection diagnoses around day 10 after surgery. The study will evaluate how well these visible and thermal imaging algorithms work in diverse skin tones and real-world settings, and how they might fit into community health follow-up programs. If the tools prove accurate, they could enable faster recognition and treatment of infections, especially where in-person monitoring is hard.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive quicker detection and management of cesarean-site infections, reducing complications and improving recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Previous algorithms showed good sensitivity/specificity in rural Rwanda; this study expands validation to new populations and settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Integrated microbiome and resistome framework to prevent surgical site infections in veterinary orthopedic surgery
A veterinary research project will study how preoperative microbes and resistance genes in animals relate to post-surgical infections and antibiotic failures.
-
Image-based tools to spot post-cesarean wound infections across different populations
Aims to test two image-based computer algorithms to detect infections after cesarean birth, using real patient images from diverse sites to help earlier care.
-
Targeting the preoperative microbiome to prevent surgical infections and antibiotic resistance
Aims to understand how a patient’s microbiome before surgery influences the risk of infection and antibiotic resistance, with the goal of preventing surgical site infections.
-
Decolonization to prevent infections after colon and small bowel surgery
A clinical trial will test whether a post-discharge cleaning regimen (chlorhexidine baths and nasal antiseptic) reduces infections after colon and small bowel surgery.
-
Image-based tools to detect cesarean wound infections from photos and heat images in diverse women
A patient-friendly way to use photos and thermal images to detect cesarean wound infections early, helping mothers in various countries get timely care.
-
Remote photo and thermal checks to spot cesarean wound infections
This project uses photos and thermal images to help healthcare workers detect wound infections after cesarean delivery in women from Rwanda, Ghana, and Mexico.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.