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Fetal heart rate monitoring by telephone. II. Clinical experience in four centres with a commercially produced system
Author(s) -
JAMES D.,
PERALTA B.,
PORTER S.,
DARVILL D.,
WALKER J.,
McCALL M.,
CALDER A.,
O'BRIEN S.,
BEVERIDGE R.,
LIU D.,
SHELTON L.,
JUSTICE T.,
STANGER D.
Publication year - 1988
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.1471-0528.1988.tb06508.x
Subject(s) - fetal heart rate , fetal monitoring , medicine , fetal heart , heart rate , medical emergency , fetus , obstetrics , pregnancy , blood pressure , biology , genetics
Summary. A commercially produced domiciliary fetal monitoring (DFM) system was assessed in four centres in the UK (Bristol, Glasgow, London and Nottingham) chosen to allow for comprehensive assessment in various settings in many different women. Overall, 825 recordings were made from 368 women (2·24 per woman). There were 56 unsuccessful attempts at transmission (6·8%), most were due to problems with telephone equipment. The system worked most efficiently when a dedicated direct line was used. The data transmission time varied between 40 and 60 s. The median telephone time (including data transmission and conversation) with a dedicated direct line was 7min. Mean acceptance times from the four centres were between 70 and 80%. All recordings with acceptance times of 40% or more were interpretable. Ten recordings were abnormal. The women and midwives were equally proficient at using the DFM system. The DFM system represents an important addition to current methods of fetal assessment. Specific guidelines are outlined.