Life Measurement announced today the launch of the Pea Pod Infant Body Composition System for use in research and clinical settings. The Pea Pod will be used to establish the first substantial compilation of body composition data/norms on infant populations. It will also address the need to better assess infant growth, optimize nutritional and pharmacological interventions, and optimize release criteria for pre-term and other at-risk infants.
Life Measurement developed the Pea Pod in response to the need for a practical and accurate method of assessing infant body composition. To date, infant growth and nutritional status has relied primarily on length, weight, and circumference measurements.
The Pea Pod is currently being used in a research study conducted by Dr. Ken Ellis at the Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Ellis notes, "The Pea Pod offers the first opportunity to accurately assess body composition of the infant using a noninvasive, rapid, risk-free method that provides research-quality data. Its use should advance our knowledge of the growth process during early life, especially in pre-term infants."
The Pea Pod uses air displacement plethysmography to assess body composition in infants. This proven technology has been used with the Bod Pod Body Composition Tracking System for the past 10 years.
"Infancy is the period of most rapid postnatal growth and body composition change, and growth patterns during early life have been associated with a host of childhood and adult diseases," says Alex Urlando, Product Manager at Life Measurement, Inc. "The accurate assessment of infant body composition provides important data to assist in addressing several infant situations, including optimizing individual nutritional and pharmacological requirements."
The Pea Pod provides a comfortable testing environment and can accommodate most infant behaviors. Body composition assessments take approximately 7 minutes.
The Pea Pod is a pediatric air displacement plethysmograph used to assess infant body composition. It was developed with support from NIH grant funding and has received 510(k) approval from the FDA.
Life Measurement provides advancements in health measurement technologies.