Fetal ECG waveforms
Fetal oximeters
Fetal ECG waveforms
When machines go 'beep' you can just about guarantee there are companies trying to develop 'bigger and better' machines to replace them, especially if they are used extensively in the health system! One new form of monitoring babies is called fetal electrocardiographic (or ECG) waveform. This can only be used by using an internal scalp clip attached to the baby's head (similar to internal monitoring).
Fetal ECG waveforms are believed to be a more accurate measure of the baby's heart rate pattern, because they not only measures how fast the baby's heart is beating (say 140 beats per minute or bpm) but it can show the actual pattern of the electrical impulse in the baby's heart muscle as it contracts. This technology mimics the ECG machines that have been used to monitor adults with heart disease in hospitals for years.
The electrical impulse produces a waveform readout. It can be observed for abnormal wave patterns and interpreted to indicate if the baby is distressed (usually due to having reduced oxygen in labour). The waveform is easier to interpret (if the staff member is trained to read them) and there is less chance of different interpretations between caregivers if they are educated appropriately.
Recent research has shown that the use of ECG when compared with the normal CTG monitoring has:
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Reduced the use of forceps and Caesarean by about 50%. |
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Had a 50% reduction in low apgar scores. |
At present this new technology is not widely used in Australia.
Fetal oximeters
Another relatively new device is a 'fetal oximeter'. This machine aims to act as a guide in detecting oxygen levels in the baby during the labour. The medical term for this device is 'near-infrared spectroscopy' (or NIRS).