Fetal medicine

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Noninvasive fetal electrocardiography following intermittent umbilical cord occlusion in the preterm ovine fetus

  1. JK Cleal1,
  2. M Thomas2,
  3. MA Hanson1,
  4. S Paterson-Brown3,
  5. HM Gardiner3,
  6. LR Green1

Article first published online: 8 FEB 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02471.x

Issue

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Volume 117, Issue 4, pages 438–444, March 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Cleal, J., Thomas, M., Hanson, M., Paterson-Brown, S., Gardiner, H. and Green, L. (2010), Noninvasive fetal electrocardiography following intermittent umbilical cord occlusion in the preterm ovine fetus. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 117: 438–444. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02471.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton, UK

  2. 2

    Centre for Signal and Information Processing, QinetiQ Ltd, Farnborough, UK

  3. 3

    Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK

*Dr JK Cleal, The Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital (MP 887), Southampton SO16 6YD, UK. Email: jcleal@soton.ac.uk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 8 FEB 2010
  2. Article first published online: 8 FEB 2010
  3. Accepted 16 November 2009.

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Keywords:

  • Cord occlusion;
  • electrocardiography;
  • fetus

Please cite this paper as: Cleal J, Thomas M, Hanson M, Paterson-Brown S, Gardiner H, Green L. Noninvasive fetal electrocardiography following intermittent umbilical cord occlusion in the preterm ovine fetus. BJOG 2010;117:438–444.

Objective  To investigate whether a noninvasive fetal electrocardiography (fECG) system can identify cardiovascular responses to fetal hypoxaemia and validate the results using standard invasive fECG monitoring techniques.

Design  Prospective cohort study.

Setting  Biological research facilities at The University of Southampton.

Population or Sample  Late gestation ovine fetuses; n = 5.

Methods  Five fetal lambs underwent implantation of vascular catheters, umbilical cord occluder and invasive ECG chest electrodes under general anaesthesia (3% halothane/O2) at 119 days of gestation (term ∼147 days of gestation). After 5 days of recovery blood pressure, blood gases, glucose and pH were monitored. At 124 and 125 days of gestation following a 10-minute baseline period a 90-second cord occlusion was applied. Noninvasive fetal ECG was recorded from maternal transabdominal electrodes using advanced signal-processing techniques, concurrently with invasive fECG recordings.

Main outcome measures  Comparison of T:QRS ratios of the ECG waveform from noninvasive and invasive fECG monitoring systems.

Results  Our fECG monitoring system is able to demonstrate changes in waveforms during periods of hypoxaemia similar to those obtained invasively, which could indicate fetal distress.

Conclusions  These findings may indicate a future use for noninvasive electrocardiography during human fetal monitoring both before and during labour in term and preterm pregnancies.

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