title: Amniotic fluid index and prolonged antepartum fetal heart rate decelerations.
abstract: Both prolonged fetal heart rate (FHR) decelerations and decreased amounts of amniotic fluid (AF) have been associated with adverse fetal outcome. To determine whether adverse outcome could be predicted by a quantitative assessment of AF in patients with prolonged FHR decelerations, we identified 97 consecutive pregnancies found during antepartum testing to have prolonged FHR decelerations. A four-quadrant AF index was measured concurrently in 92 of these 97 patients. Women with an AF index less than 2 cm had operative intervention for fetal distress in seven of 11 cases (64%), compared with 17 of 81 (21%) who had an index of 2 cm or more (P = .005). We conclude that in patients with a prolonged FHR deceleration during antepartum testing, the need for operative intervention for fetal distress is increased when oligohydramnios is present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Grubb
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005113:Extraction, Obstetrical; D005260:Female; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016104:Oligohydramnios / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy