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Foetal Distress*
Author(s) -
Cox L. Woodrow
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.1961.tb00087.x
Subject(s) - medicine , fetal distress , bradycardia , tachycardia , distress , perinatal mortality , obstetrics , meconium , pediatrics , heart rate , anesthesia , pregnancy , fetus , blood pressure , clinical psychology , genetics , biology
Summary 1. The results are recorded of a study of 4,860 case‐records of women in labour, in which 562 patients showed one or more signs of foetal distress. 2. “Transient” foetal distress (the recording of one sign on one occasion only) had a perinatal mortality of 2.0 per cent. 3. Tachycardia alone showed a morbidity of 20.5 per cent, and mortality of 3.3 per cent. 4. Bradycardia and meconium discharge had morbidities of 20 per cent, and mortalities of 5.4 and 3.5 per cent, respectively. 5. A perinatal mortality of 4.5 per cent, in cases where delivery was not effected within 15 minutes suggests that earlier intervention might have improved the results. 6. The problems of continuous monitoring of the foetal heart have been discussed, together with a method of monitoring by direct foetal electrocardiography.