The relation between fetal distress and the subsequent condition at birth was studied in 2791 pregnancies. Fetal distress was defined as a heart rate greater than 160 or less than 120/min between uterine contractions, with or without meconium-stained liquor. Infants of 28 to 42 weeks' gestational age were examined at 1 and 5 minutes after birth when the heart rate, respiration, and skin colour ...

BACKGROUND Despite increased attention to the role of antenatal maternal psychological stress in postnatal development, remarkably little information is available on the nature of the intrauterine fetal response to maternal psychological state. AIMS To determine whether: (1) the fetus responds to maternal stress; (2) the fetal response changes over gestation; and (3) individual maternal and f...

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate effects of oxytocin-induced hyperstimulation on fetal oxygen saturation and fetal heart rate patterns. STUDY DESIGN Uterine activity of 56 women was evaluated retrospectively for hyperstimulation lasting 30 minutes using 2 definitions: group 1: 5 or more but less than 6 contractions in 10 minutes (n = 102, 30-minute periods); group 2: 6 or ...

Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during the 32nd week of pregnancy were recorded in 100 maternal-fetal pairs using a digitized data collection system. The 18-min guided imagery relaxation manipulation generated significant changes in maternal heart rate, skin conductance, respiration period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Significant alterations in fetal neurobehavior were obse...

Fetal hypoxia leads to progressive cardiac remodeling in rat offspring. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal hypoxia results in reprogramming of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression patterns and fibrillar collagen matrix in the developing heart. Pregnant rats were treated with normoxia or hypoxia (10.5% O(2)) from day 15 to 21 of gestation. Hearts were isolated from 21-day...

Congenital heart defects take an important place in fetal pathology, due to their highest death percentage reported by WHO (World Health Organisation). The ethical issues that obstetricians deal with in case of an isolated fetal heart abnormality are multiple. The obstetrician is most of the time overwhelmed by the real possibility of making a fetal or neonatal prognosis. The lack of complete a...

Evaluation of the fetal heart at 11-13 + 6 weeks of gestation is indicated for women with a family history of congenital heart defects (CHD), a previous child with CDH, or an ultrasound finding associated with cardiac anomalies. The accuracy for early detection of CHD is highly related to the experience of the operator. The 4-chamber view and outflow tracts are the most important planes for ide...