Abstract
Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring (EFM) in labour began its evolution in 1950s and became commercially available in late 1960s. EFM was introduced to identify those fetuses that were exposed to intrapartum hypoxia and were not able to tolerate ongoing hypoxic stress. Failure of compensatory mechanisms could lead to the development of respiratory and/or metabolic acidosis secondary to the intrapartum hypoxic insult, which if left undetected and treated, may have severe consequences. These include long-term implications such as learning difficulties, cerebral palsy and in some cases, increased risk of perinatal deaths. Use of EFM in high-risk labour has been associated with a significant reduction in fetal mortality rates and early onset neonatal seizures.
The purpose of this article is to revisit the relatively uncommon findings of sinusoidal, overshoot and saltatory patterns in a cardiotocograph (CTG), their clinical implications and the approach to managing them in labour.
Keywords: Fetal heart rate overshoot, saltatory, sinusoidal.
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
RARE CASES IN GYNECOLOGY-OBSTETRICS
With the development of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques (such as ART techniques) and the immersion of new pathologies (such as COVID19), we are witnessing an increase in the incidence of pathologies that were previously described as rare or exceptional. the practitioner sometimes confronts difficult situations in these cases in diagnostic ...read more
43