Open AccessFetal Cardiac Function in Response to Long‐Term Maternal Terbutalin Treatment
Author(s) -
Sørensen Keld E.,
Børlum KarlGerhardt
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016348809004179
Subject(s) - medicine , fetus , cardiac function curve , term (time) , fetal heart , pregnancy , obstetrics , cardiology , heart failure , genetics , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
. To evaluate whether long‐term human fetal exposure to 0‐adrenergic receptor agonists elicit alterations in the human fetal heart, a fetal echocardiographic examination was performed in 9 fetuses between the 24th and 35th week of gestation (median 28 weeks) and 9 age‐matched controls. Examinations were performed during long‐term tocolytic terbutalin treatment. Drug dosages varied between 7.5 and 20.0 mg/day (median 10.0 mg/day) and treatment durations prior to examination varied between 14 and 60 days (median 25 days). No significant differences were noted between the exposed fetuses and their controls as regards FHR, left ventricular dimensions, interventricular septal thickness, left ventricular contractility (fractional shortening) and the derived left ventricular stroke volume. Despite the limited number of subjects it is believed that long‐term terbutalin exposure does not have any untoward major fetal left ventricular consequences.