title: Fetal baseline heart rate variability estimation. I. Comparison of clinical and stochastic quantification techniques.
abstract: Baseline fetal heart rate variability is an important parameter in the evaluation of fetal status during the intrapartum period. Prior descriptions of variability have largely been either visual-subjective or stochastic in nature. Unfortunately, correlation between the two has not been substantiated. Sample heart rate tracings were evaluated for variability by a panel of nine experts. Interobserver agreement in the evaluation of variability was high; correlation between visual subjective and stochastic methods was low. The implications are discussed.
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011336:Probability; D013269:Stochastic Processes