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PALMITIC ACID LEVELS IN AMNIOTIC FLUID AND THE SHAKE TEST
Author(s) -
MacLennan A. H.,
Roxburgh D.,
Thornton C.,
Knightley M.,
Moore R. A.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1975.tb00619.x
Subject(s) - shake , palmitic acid , amniotic fluid , pulmonary surfactant , dilution , respiratory distress , medicine , chemistry , chromatography , pregnancy , fatty acid , biology , biochemistry , anesthesia , physics , fetus , astronomy , genetics , thermodynamics
Summary One hundred and six samples of amniotic fluid were analyzed independently by four clinicians for surfactant content, using the shake test and the palmitic acid content of the amniotic fluid. The variation of the results in the 424 shake tests were examined and the shake tests correlated with the palmitic acid levels. A positive shake test to a dilution of 1:4 had a 100 per cent correlation with a mature palmitic acid level over 35 pg./ml., while a positive test at a dilution 1:2 gave a 5.6 per cent false positive rate. A high false negative rate was found, however, and estimates of the chance of a mature surfactant level in relation to the range of shake tests results are given. Eleven patients had low palmitic acid levels in the amniotic fluid prior to delivery and three of the infants developed the respiratory distress syndrome.