Fetal acoustic stimulation in early labor in patients screened with the admission test.

Fetal heart rate reactions to the fetal acoustic stimulation test were investigated in 952 women in early labor. All had cephalic presentations (greater than 33 weeks of gestation) and were screened with a 15-minute fetal heart rate recording (admission test) before the sound stimulation was applied. Three different types of responses were observed: type I, an accelerative response; type II, a biphasic response with acceleration(s) followed by a deceleration; type III, no response or a prolonged deceleration (greater than 60 beats/min and greater than 60 seconds). A type I response was recorded in 98.0% of the women after a reactive admission test result, in 90.2% after an equivocal admission test result, and in 42.9% after an ominous admission test result. Fetal distress in labor occurred in these three groups in 2.0%, 22.2%, and 35.7% of cases, respectively. The risk for fetal distress was high after an ominous admission test and a type III response on the fetal acoustic stimulation test (75.0%). The fetal acoustic stimulation test might be of value in labor and give additional information about fetal well-being in patients previously screened by the admission test. Testing time can be shortened after an equivocal admission test.

Admission test: a screening test for fetal distress in labor.

The usefulness of a short electronic fetal heart rate recording at admission of patients in labor (admission test) was investigated in low-risk patients in two prospective studies. The admission test was done in a concealed manner, and the result of the test was evaluated after delivery so as not to influence the clinical management. In part I of the investigation, the test was performed in 130 patients monitored during labor with pH determinations in scalp blood and in cord blood at birth. Patients with reactive admission tests had a low rate of intrauterine asphyxia in labor (0.9%), whereas half of the patients with ominous traces had intrauterine fetal asphyxia with a low scalp blood pH and neonatal depression. Similar results were obtained in part II, when the admission test was used as a screening procedure involving 1041 patients. The test was reactive in 94.3%, and in this group fetal distress (cesarean section, or forceps on that indication, or an Apgar score less than 7 at five minutes) occurred in 1.3%. Ten patients (1.0%) had ominous tests; four of these had fetal distress, and one of these fetuses died in utero three hours after admission, during which time stethoscopic auscultation failed to detect the fetal compromise. It is concluded that the admission test can detect fetal distress already present at admission and unnecessary delay in intervention can be avoided in such a case. The test seems also to have some predictive value for the fetal well-being for the next few hours of labor. The test is simple and convenient for screening purposes.

Intra-uterine growth retardation and gestational age.

This is a 5-year material of all singleton SGA (small for gestational age) infants born at the University Hospital in Lund, 1977-81, with a long-term follow-up. After the introduction of routine ultrasound scanning for all pregnancies in weeks 17 and 32 (1980-81), the rate of SGA-diagnosis before birth increased from 54.6% to 74.5% and the long-term outcome improved for term SGA infants. All women were treated according to a uniform policy regarding the termination of pregnancy--even in the early preterm period, if signs of fetal jeopardy appeared. More than half of all infants born before gestational week 34 died (40.0%) or showed major neurological handicap (16.0%) in spite of all being delivered by cesarean section. The corresponding figures for infants born in weeks 34-36 were 8.3% (deaths) and 8.3% (major handicaps); the cesarean section rate in this group was 83.3%. Term SGA-infants had an excellent outcome, with a low rate both for postnatal death (0.5%) and for major handicaps (2.0%). The results suggest that despite a high rate of antenatal diagnosis of intra-uterine growth retardation, and a uniform management of the pregnancy and the newborn, the high rate of cesarean delivery, and also intensive neonatal care, preterm SGA-infants are exposed to a greater risk of death or severe handicap.

Relation between neonatal pneumonia and maternal carriage of group B streptococci.

Obstetrical and neonatal complications were studied among 143 urogenital carriers of group B streptococci (GBS) and their 144 infants and compared with complications occurring in a control group of 157 pregnant non-carriers and their 158 infants. All parturients had experienced uncomplicated pregnancies until week 36. 26 infants, 13 from each group, were transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit for treatment and observation within the first 7 days of life. Among these infants, 11/13 infants of GBS carriers contracted pneumonia and pulmonary adaptation syndrome, in contrast to 3/13 infants of non-carriers (p less than 0.05). The GBS carrier infants transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit had higher birth weights and higher gestational ages. Within the group of infants born to GBS carriers, those with pulmonary diseases evidenced abnormal fetal heart rate changes during labour in a higher rate than in the controls. Puerperal endometritis occurred with a significantly higher frequency among the GBS carriers (7/143) than among the non-carriers (0/157). Maternal carriage of GBS is a high risk factor for both the mother and her newborn, also after an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy.

Impact of routine fetal monitoring during labor on fetal outcome with long-term follow-up.

A computerized system for the storage of antenatal, intrapartal, and neonatal data has been used since 1973. The present study evaluated the influence of changed neonatal and obstetric practices, with special regard to routine fetal monitoring. Three periods were studied: 1973-1974 (6,542 deliveries, only selected high-risk patients monitored); 1975-1976 (6,857 deliveries, high-risk patients monitored); 1977-1979 (9,638 deliveries, 90% monitored). The numbers of infants with an Apgar score less than 7 at 1 and 5 min were similar in 1973-1974 and 1975-1976, but the number was significantly reduced in 1977-1979. During the years studied, all but eight infants with an Apgar score less than 7 at 5 min participated in a scheduled long-term follow-up (at least 14 mo). In 1973-1974, 25 infants (35.2%) demonstrated neurological handicaps. In 1975-1976, 14 infants (19.2%) had sequelae; in 1977-1979, only three infants (4.6%) were damaged. Trend analysis showed a significant reduction in the number of infants with neurological sequelae through the years; the reduction was significant for premature and low-risk infants but not for mature high-risk infants. The improved short-term and long-term fetal outcomes seem to be largely a result of routine fetal monitoring with all its implications for obstetric and neonatal management; the significant reduction in neurological sequelae, even after correction for other changes in obstetric routines, supports this suggestion.

Combined decelerations--clinical significance and relation to uterine activity.

A combined fetal heart rate deceleration consists of a first (either early or variable) component and a second (late) component. All patients with combined decelerations during a 2-year period of routine fetal monitoring were studied. The incidence was 1.1% (70 patients). Most patient were at low risk, and the combined decelerations appeared predominantly late in the first stage of labor. In all but 5, labor was stimulated by oxytocin infusion. In two thirds of patients, intrauterine pressure was recorded; uterine hyperactivity was found in 78.7%. Combined decelerations with a total loss of at least 90 beats and lasting for at least 60 seconds were associated with low fetal scalp pH. Ten percent of infants were born in the occiput posterior position. The results indicate a relation between abnormal uterine activity and combined fetal heart decelerations. This type of deceleration could serve as a warning signal of excessive oxytocin administration.

Intrapartum electronic fetal monitoring in low-risk pregnancies.

The value of fetal monitoring in low-risk pregnancies was evaluated in 4278 deliveries, 85% of all low-risk patients delivered in 1977 and 1978 at the University Hospital of Lund. An irreproachable tracing was recorded in less than half the cases. Fetal heart rate changes demanding scalp pH measurements or operative intervention for fetal distress occurred in about 10% of all deliveries. In only 30 patients (0.7%) was cesarean section performed for fetal distress. No intrapartal deaths occurred. The perinatal mortality (antenatal deaths excluded) was 0.14%. Only 3 of 1000 newborns had an Apgar score less than 7 at 5 minutes. The reported negative implications of routine fetal monitoring, such as overdiagnosis of fetal distress, cannot be verified in this study when electronic fetal monitoring and pH measurements are combined. The excellent fetal outcome suggests benefits from routine electronic fetal monitoring even in low-risk pregnancies.

Influence of occiput posterior position on the fetal heart rate pattern.

Fetal heart rate (FHR) recordings of 138 deliveries with the fetus in the occiput posterior position (OPP) are compared with recordings of 138 control fetuses in the occiput anterior position (OAP). The 2 groups are comparable in maternal age, parity, duration of first stage of labor, frequency of nerve blocks for analgesia, and incidence of cord complications. Variable decelerations were significantly more frequent and more pronounced in the OPP group than in the controls. The number of newborns with low Apgar scores was similar in both groups, despite a large number of pronounced decelerations in the OPP group. Possible mechanisms for the origin of variable decelerations in the occiput posterior position are discussed.

A one-year study of routine fetal heart rate monitoring during the first stage of labor.

At the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden 90 per cent of all deliveries are monitored with cardiotocography (CTG). The fetal heart rate recording (FHR) together with various pregnancy- and delivery data, are continuously analysed. The present paper is an account of FHR changes during the first stage of labor of all patients registered during 1977. FHR-changes occurred already during the 1st stage of labor in more than 90 per cent of all deliveries where the newborns' Apgar score was less than 7 at 1 minute. Tachycardia, silent pattern, and late and combined decelerations, rarely occurred in the material, but were dominant at deliveries where the newborns' Apgar score was less than 7 at 1 and 5 minutes. This relationship was even more pronounced when these changes occurred together.