The goal of fetal monitoring and ultrasound is to assure fetal well-being and recognize fetal distress and any thread to the baby.
The detection of conditions that pose a threat to a baby while in utero is the single most effective way of preventing harm to the baby. The two most effective tools in this surveillance are Electronic Fetal Monitoring & Obstetrical Ultrasound. These tools individually or when used in combination can identify an injurious process and allow obstetrical intervention before permanent injury occurs.
Electronic Fetal Monitoring
The baby in utero has a heart rate that can be monitored. The brain controls the heart rate. This means that any process that impacts on the brain affects the heart rate. This simple concept is the basis of electronic fetal monitoring during labor. The unit itself consists of a two transducers; one that ultrasonically measures uterine activity, the strength, duration and frequency of contractions; and the other which can either ultrasonically (external monitoring) or directly (internal monitoring) measures the baby’s heart rate. The results of these measurements are printed out continuously together on paper so that the result of both measurements can be observed. By evaluating the patterns of the fetal heart rate, looking for decelerations (dropping of the heart rate) and picking up non-reassuring heart rate patterns the baby may be delivered before serious deterioration occurs.
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